SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Police Department has issued a warning about fake parking tickets being placed on cars in the University Heights neighborhood.
The fraudulent citations demand donations to various local nonprofits, including the San Diego Police Foundation.
Surveillance video obtained by CBS 8 shows a man apparently placing a ticket on a vehicle parked on Park Boulevard late Friday night. The car's owner, Rudy Burciaga, initially thought the citation was legitimate. "So it says, unless I donate to one of these foundations, they're going to report me to SDPD," Burciaga told CBS 8.
The fake ticket lists a parking fine of $452, which can be avoided if the vehicle owner makes a donation within 48 hours to one of several organizations, including the San Diego Police Foundation, the California Transportation Foundation, the SD Regional Fire Foundation, or California Walks.
Burciaga, who admits he was parked illegally, made a small donation before realizing the ticket was fraudulent. "I went on the website, I donated a couple of dollars to one of these foundations, which I don't want back. You know, I do appreciate the police here in San Diego, so I don't need the refund on that," he said.
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The San Diego Buddhist Association temple, located next to where Burciaga's car was parked, is listed as the "location" of the violation on the fraudulent citation. The temple's president, Venerable Mio Zang, denied any knowledge of the tickets and provided surveillance video to CBS 8 that appears to show a man placing the ticket on Burciaga's vehicle.
CBS 8 reached out to the San Diego Police Foundation. A director said SDPD notified the nonprofit about the fraudulent parking tickets this morning and that the police department continues to investigate.
The San Diego Police Department addressed the issue on their X (formerly Twitter) page, stating, "THE SAN DIEGO POLICE DEPARTMENT WILL NEVER ASK FOR A MONETARY DONATION IN LIEU OF A PARKING CITATION."
The identity of the person distributing the fake tickets remains unknown. SDPD did not respond to emails asking whether the fake citations were illegal.
The San Diego Buddhist Association temple, located next to where Burciaga's car was parked, is listed as the "location" of the violation on the fraudulent citation. The temple's president, Venerable Mio Zang, denied any knowledge of the tickets and provided surveillance video to CBS 8 that appears to show a man placing the ticket on Burciaga's vehicle.
CBS 8 reached out to the San Diego Police Foundation. A director said SDPD notified the nonprofit about the fraudulent parking tickets this morning and that the police department continues to investigate.