Had a block on my license renewal... anyone else deal with something like this?

So, I was trying to renew my license on my birthday this year and it wouldn’t let me. It said I had a block on it and when I clicked the link, it took me to a website saying I had two citations from 2022 in Palmar County—one for speeding and the other for failure to appear in court. Never been to Palmar County, didn’t even know what that was. I called to ask for verification and they just told me to pay it. Anyone know what I should do? I’m freaking out a bit.

Whoa, that sounds super stressful. I’d definitely check if it’s a case of mistaken identity, especially if you’ve never even been to that county. Did you try reaching out to the DMV or anything?

Daryn said:
Whoa, that sounds super stressful. I’d definitely check if it’s a case of mistaken identity, especially if you’ve never even been to that county. Did you try reaching out to the DMV or anything?

Yeah, I did but they just said to pay it. It feels wrong, especially since I’ve never even been to that place. I’m wondering if my identity was used for this somehow.

Sounds like it could be a mistake. Have you looked into identity theft protection? That might help clarify if someone used your info.

Micah said:
Sounds like it could be a mistake. Have you looked into identity theft protection? That might help clarify if someone used your info.

I’m actually still under an identity theft case from a few years ago, so I really think it could be that. I just need to prove it somehow.

Oh man, that’s rough. If you can prove it wasn’t you, it might be helpful to file a motion to quash the failure to appear. That could clear things up. Maybe talk to a lawyer about it?

Frances said:
Oh man, that’s rough. If you can prove it wasn’t you, it might be helpful to file a motion to quash the failure to appear. That could clear things up. Maybe talk to a lawyer about it?

I haven’t filed anything yet, but I’ll definitely look into that. What exactly does that involve?

Frances said:
Oh man, that’s rough. If you can prove it wasn’t you, it might be helpful to file a motion to quash the failure to appear. That could clear things up. Maybe talk to a lawyer about it?

It’s basically a legal way of saying the citation shouldn’t apply to you. You’ll have to show up in court to explain it. I’d recommend talking to a traffic lawyer about it.

Did you get any paperwork or anything about these citations? Seems strange they didn’t contact you if they thought you missed court.

Fern said:
Did you get any paperwork or anything about these citations? Seems strange they didn’t contact you if they thought you missed court.

Nope, nothing at all. No emails, no mail, no calls. Feels really weird, right?

I’d recommend calling the court directly. They should be able to pull up the case and let you know if it was a mistake. If it’s identity theft, they may be able to help with that too.

Dru said:
I’d recommend calling the court directly. They should be able to pull up the case and let you know if it was a mistake. If it’s identity theft, they may be able to help with that too.

Thanks! I’ll give that a try. Just trying to get this sorted so I can get my license back.