Calgary woman forced to pay $1,600 in fines that aren't hers or risk ticket

Alison Campbell says she is dealing with a stranger's unpaid fines being linked to her account.

A Calgary woman is worried she may have to pay hundreds of dollars in fines that aren't hers in order to renew her vehicle registration.

If the strange situation sounds familiar, it's because just days ago, CTV News spoke with a different Calgary woman forced to pay a stranger’s ticket so she could renew her registration.

Alandra Williams, who CTV News spoke with on Monday, paid the fine, which had been attached to her account in error, but said after five long months, she was having trouble getting a refund.

The day after CTV aired a report about the strange position Williams had found herself in, she was contacted by the province, who told her a refund was being processed.

Since covering Williams' predicament, CTV News has been contacted by several people who have found themselves in similar situations.

ALISON CAMPBELL: TRANSIT CHARGES THAT AREN'T HERS

Alison Campbell says she, too, is dealing with a stranger's unpaid fines being linked to her account.

She says she learned of them when she went to renew her licence last week, at which time she was told she has four convictions under her name for failing to purchase a CTrain ticket, totalling almost $1,600.

The person who was ticketed appears to have, on all four occasions, fraudulently used Campbell's name, birthdate and an address she hasn't lived at in more than a decade – or shown the officers false identification.

Campbell says she has been able to file a notice to appeal the tickets, but so far no court dates have been set and her registration expires next week.

If she pays the $1,600 in order to renew it, she will have to hope for an eventual refund.

If she does not, she risks getting pulled over and ticketed by police.

The Calgary Police Service confirms it is investigating Campbell’s situation as identity theft, but officials say when it comes to the potential traffic violations, officers have no room for discretion: the decision to ticket comes with what is on file.