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    Scam?
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    Scam?


    Hello guys, i received some strange letter last year. It was about unpaid highway toll in Italy. As i have never been initaly with my car, i assumed that it’s some kind of scam and threw that letter into trash. Today i got this letter about the same thing. It is for date in year 2017. Im living in switzerland since 2019 and got this kennzeichen since 2020, so it is impossible that it was me. Is it real or scam?

    https://i.redd.it/ebnwi6azvm4g1.jpeg

    Posted by jukins93

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    22 Comments

    2. No_Community7656 on

      not a scam as far as I am aware. But you should get a confirmation from the MFK when you took over the license plate, so you can show them that you were not the license plate holder at the time of the incident. Usually then the thing is done for you.

    3. Greenbird3141 on

      I dont know if its real, but i suggest reposting it with the ID blurred out. (Middle of the page)

    4. Lord_Fendi on

      It’s from Pedememontana, a small and stupid sections of highways close to the border with switzerland (Como/Varese). It’s a toll section with cameras that read all numberplates, then you have to go on their website 1-2 days later and pay online (the most unpractical thing).

      for foreigners it might not be clear how it works, so lots of north europeans or swiss people transit without paying. since a few years they “sell the fines” to private institutions who can move and send letters abroad to get the money back (it can take up to years for the italian institutions to send you a fine abroad).

      It happened to me a few years ago, after a couple of month from transiting, i sent an email to pedemontana explaining that i kept checking the website but my transit wouldn’t show up on the website even after two weeks from the transit, so they made an exception and made me pay the regular toll fee online and that’s it.

      FYI: [https://www.ticinonews.ch/ticino/pedemontana-le-targhe-svizzere-confondono-chi-invia-le-multe-373979](https://www.ticinonews.ch/ticino/pedemontana-le-targhe-svizzere-confondono-chi-invia-le-multe-373979) it might be a transit done by the previous owner of your numberplate.

      personally: i would just ignore it and make them spend more time and money into it.

    5. Party-Neat-3355 on

      I had the same issue, till I realised that this highway has cameras reading your number and you have a couple of days to make payment. There is an App on Applestore called Pedemontana Lombarda where you can make sich payment. Better you pay.

    6. IkeaCreamCheese on

      You should call them and explain you got your license plates in 2020. These questions popped up already here and it’s usually the same justification “I never drove there, I got my license plates later”.

    7. LBG-13Sudowoodo on

      Make sure to clarify this before it escalates because as slow and bureaucratic Italy is, when it comes to collecting fines they are very efficient. You can ask them to send you a photo of where the car with your license plate was caught. If you sleep on it, there will be interest fees and as „special neighbours“ Italy will be able to go for legal means against you in Switzerland . Do not ignore it, sort it out.

    8. Gysburne on

      You can prove that you got the license plate 2020. So i would get into contact with them and tell them that it was not you, but the previous owner of the plate.

      Do not ignore it, be pro active. It seems to be legit but well, i guess it is linked to the license plate mainly… which is now linked to your name.

    9. bendltd on

      I got the same and it seems legit. Since it was a company car our laywer checked if its legit and not a scam.
      Since it was from 2019 I had no clue where it was and how it looks but Italy is such a mess with tolls its the worst.
      The northern countries are much better in this regard.

    10. jukins93 on

      Thanks for all answers guys. I will get in contact with them. Hope that the proof from Stassenverkehrsamt will not be more expensive than this toll (15€)😁

    11. Realistic-Elk-7423 on

      I had the same situation.
      I sent them all the proofs and didn’t get an answer anymore. Until a few months later a lawyer wrote me and it went on and on and on. They are so boring.

    14. 1CreativeBeardedMan on

      Das Schreiben ist mit sehr hoher Wahrscheinlichkeit ein Scam. Ich habe das gesamte Dokument analysiert und es passt exakt zu den bekannten italienischen Autobahn-Fake-Mahnungen, die seit Jahren europaweit verschickt werden. Hier die wichtigsten Punkte:

      Die angebliche Anwaltskanzlei „RA Griffanti“ ist in keinem offiziellen Register auffindbar und taucht immer wieder im Zusammenhang mit Betrug auf. Es gibt keine verifizierbare Website, keine echten Geschäftsdaten. Die Adresse wurde mehrfach für ähnliche Maschen genutzt.

      Die Autostrada Pedemontana Lombarda existiert zwar, aber echte Forderungen kommen niemals über seltsame Konstrukte wie „Gestione Rischi S.r.l.“ oder eine dubiose Privatkanzlei. Offizielle Bescheide kommen direkt vom Betreiber oder von bekannten Inkasso-Dienstleistern wie NiviCredit.

      Der Betrag ist typisch für Massenscams. Kleine Summen wie 13–20 EUR sollen die Hemmschwelle fürs Zahlen senken.

      Es fehlen alle Pflichtangaben: kein Datum, kein Kennzeichen, keine konkrete Strecke, kein Foto, kein Beweis. Ein echter Autobahn-Bescheid aus Italien enthält immer detaillierte Informationen zum angeblichen Vergehen.

      Die Formulierungen sind typisch für Fake-Inkasso: „allerletzte Mahnung“, „außergerichtliche Einigung“, „Unterbrechung der Verjährung“, extrem kurze Fristen usw. Das ist psychologischer Druck, aber ohne Substanz.

      Der Rückumschlag wirkt offiziell, ist aber wertlos. Derartige Umschläge kann jeder bestellen. Sie haben keine rechtliche Bedeutung.

      Das identische Schreiben ist bereits auf Reddit aufgetaucht. Das bestätigt, dass es sich um Massenbriefe handelt, nicht um eine konkrete Forderung.

      In der Schweiz (und auch in vielen anderen Ländern) sind solche Mini-Forderungen aus Italien nicht vollstreckbar. Ein italienisches Inkassobüro hat im Ausland keinerlei Macht, und eine Forderung über 13 EUR würde niemals über internationale Amtshilfe laufen.

      Fazit:
      → Sehr wahrscheinlich Betrug.
      → Nicht reagieren.
      → Nicht anrufen.
      → Nichts bezahlen.
      → Einfach abheften oder entsorgen.

      Falls es wirklich eine echte Forderung wäre (was hier extrem unwahrscheinlich ist), würde ein offizieller Bescheid mit vollständigen Daten kommen – und nicht so ein generischer Massendruck.

    15. no_more_covid on

      Italian Here, unfortunately autostrada pedemontana is the hugest skam we have in italy, legalized of course and soo teuer… it’s a highway where you don’t have the physical tolls to pay, but either you pay with the telepass (i assume you don’t have it) or online in their website when you can check the pending payments with your plate. Since you’re swiss they’re not gonna do shit about it, but maybe is better if you pay that small amount just to don’t have any issue when you visit us here, always check when you take the pedemontana to pay the bill…
      Salut und Grüss

    16. Accomplished_Fee9363 on

      Yes it is actually true! No idea why exactly which highway it is but .. it is a small portion of the Italian highway sold to those “scammers”. You can install and app and pre-pay online your transit. Or pay the fine when you receive this mails

    17. Searching2know on

      Am I the only one finding strange that a letter from Italy comes in German? Its not their official language.🤔

    18. Classic_Reception_46 on

      I received a similar letter for not paying a toll in Italy – where I never was. I called the MFK and they provided me with an Email – never heard from italian law firm again (ca. 2-3 Months ago)

    20. CarefulAd2395 on

      real.

      like many said here, contact your local auto license office and say you need confirmation when you got your plate.

    21. General_Guisan on

      It’s real, but also a scam.

      There is a very short piece of highway in Northern Italy (very close to Switzerland) which has a tool, but enforced electronically.

      Google Maps for the reviews: Autostrada Pedemontana Lombarda S.p.A.

      It’s extremely difficult to figure out how to pay, very much intentionally I suppose – so later, they can hire lawyers (and charge plenty of extra fees)

      When I drove through it (near Varese), I luckily realized what happened, found the website and somehow – with A LOT of patience and entering some invalid (but accepted) data – managed to pay the 85 Cents or so they actually charged.

      In your case, I suppose your number plate was re-assigned (Are you from Zürich?) to you, from a driver that actually drove there, who owned the number plate before that.

      I’d write them that fact, as otherwise, your car WILL BE IMPOUNDED (and you forced to pay on the spot) if you drive to Italy with it. And you never know what could happen in the future. Send them documents that show you only got the car plate in 2020, and I hope they’ll just close the case.

      As said, it’s a scam, but it’s also real, so it’s extremely annoying as doing nothing could get you in very hot water in the future.