Also, for anyone who hasn’t been there, yet, I would recommend avoiding unnecessary debts, wherever possible…
Sounds obvious AF, but I’m like… Multiple thousands in unavoidable medical debts, now, and at some point it just becomes a spiral, as other things add to it, too (like these texts)…
It’s a really, really shitty situation, and I would not recommend it to anyone.
I know it is objectively worse, if you find yourself in this situation in the US, Canada, possibly arguably the UK, and even NZ (somewhat surprisingly), but… It almost always sucks, anywhere, I feel…
And that’s without even having a credit card shivers…
Here in Portugal we had a case in our business where the government (I guess the equivalent of the IRS) wanted to get payed income tax (+late fees I'm sure) for 2 years from before the worker in question (in this case myself) started getting payed (I wasn't getting payed since I also own the business and thus wanted to make sure it had every chance to grow).
Long story short we told them to go fuck themselves and progressively made complaints to people of higher and higher authority. They have since shut up but I'm sure they will come bother us again in like 3-5 months.
Yeah, if you look at the dates there, the first one was in January (still at least two years after whatever this “fine” must be for), and the next one is today, so…
At least they’ve given me a few months without it, I guess, lol…
Though I’m pretty sure they’re the ones trying to call me every few weeks, that I just hadn’t noticed/ignored coz I didn’t recognize the number, lol…
It’s just so petty, for such an insignificant fine (on their part). Like, surely this isn’t worth their time and effort, at this point (bearing in mind that statute of limitations for most debts is 5 years, here), when they must know by now that I’m no longer even in-state..??
The ATO (Australian Tax Office) does this, too. Despite the fact that I don’t owe them a single dollar, but purely because I have student loan debts (like $20K worth) that I have not yet reached the threshold to need to pay off…
Which is the problem, because I would have to go through their site, and likely “confirm my identity” (it’s worth noting that they have no other information about me, other than my phone number and perhaps first name), just to find that out…
Which seems dubious for a start.
The only thing I could think of was like, a fine for having inadequate balance on my travel card/not having “tapped on” (you must know about travel “smart cards”, yeah?), which would have been literally three years ago…
But I thought I paid that. And it wouldn’t be a very large amount at all (unless they attempt to take it to court), so I just… Don’t understand, if it is that, why they are chasing it up now…
I still feel it may be phishing, as others have pointed out, but fuck me are they ever keen on the threats, lol…
I'd ask if this was spam, since you say you don't have a license, but it looks like it links to an actual government website...and without any of the usual tricks, like using a lowercase L for a capital i to hide it being a phishing site.
I still think it could be spam, because spam bank texts look similar, but it’s really… Hard to tell.
I don’t trust their link, anyway. At this point I guess I will call whatever SPER (State Penalty Enforcement Registry, so it claims… Which… Sounds even more dystopian) actually is, quote that number, and if they can prove this is legit, well, I guess I’ll just have to suck it up…
I’ve dealt with debt collectors before. It was… Truly horrible. So I suppose if this is legit (and just shitty), then I don’t want it to get to that point, at least…
Seems absurd, if it is real, for such a small amount…
Much like, as I mentioned, the Tax Office, trying to chase after me for like… Basically almost literally nothing.
Fucking bureaucracy (if, as we say, this isn’t spam)…
It sounds like spam? I got similar texts in Canada about my mail being seized and needing to pay some debt to get it. I have no debt, not even student debt and i dont have letters to my name nor packages.
Also, for anyone who hasn’t been there, yet, I would recommend avoiding unnecessary debts, wherever possible…
Sounds obvious AF, but I’m like… Multiple thousands in unavoidable medical debts, now, and at some point it just becomes a spiral, as other things add to it, too (like these texts)…
It’s a really, really shitty situation, and I would not recommend it to anyone.
I know it is objectively worse, if you find yourself in this situation in the US, Canada, possibly arguably the UK, and even NZ (somewhat surprisingly), but… It almost always sucks, anywhere, I feel…
And that’s without even having a credit card shivers…
Here in Portugal we had a case in our business where the government (I guess the equivalent of the IRS) wanted to get payed income tax (+late fees I'm sure) for 2 years from before the worker in question (in this case myself) started getting payed (I wasn't getting payed since I also own the business and thus wanted to make sure it had every chance to grow).
Long story short we told them to go fuck themselves and progressively made complaints to people of higher and higher authority. They have since shut up but I'm sure they will come bother us again in like 3-5 months.
Yeah, if you look at the dates there, the first one was in January (still at least two years after whatever this “fine” must be for), and the next one is today, so…
At least they’ve given me a few months without it, I guess, lol…
Though I’m pretty sure they’re the ones trying to call me every few weeks, that I just hadn’t noticed/ignored coz I didn’t recognize the number, lol…
It’s just so petty, for such an insignificant fine (on their part). Like, surely this isn’t worth their time and effort, at this point (bearing in mind that statute of limitations for most debts is 5 years, here), when they must know by now that I’m no longer even in-state..??
They probably just go to some interns and tell them to make claims like these to as many people as they can to get a few extra bucks.
When governments are so corrupt they act like typical scammers you know you have a problem.
I don’t even LIVE in QLD anymore. I haven’t for more than 2.5 years, and yet, this…
I can handle the revenue-raising (if, say, they had done this three years ago), but they can fuck right off with these threats and that intimidation…
That, I do not accept…
The ATO (Australian Tax Office) does this, too. Despite the fact that I don’t owe them a single dollar, but purely because I have student loan debts (like $20K worth) that I have not yet reached the threshold to need to pay off…
It gets a bit much, this time of year, ngl… 😑
The number’s not mine. It’s the sender’s number. So I wouldn’t say I’m overly worried, to be honest.
In the future, you should use rectangle select and the fill tool.
And the SPER shit, in short, does not worry me.
I’m not even convinced they know who I am, at this point, so… Yeah. Really not fussed, tbh.
What did they fine you for?
I don’t know, that’s the thing…
Which is the problem, because I would have to go through their site, and likely “confirm my identity” (it’s worth noting that they have no other information about me, other than my phone number and perhaps first name), just to find that out…
Which seems dubious for a start.
The only thing I could think of was like, a fine for having inadequate balance on my travel card/not having “tapped on” (you must know about travel “smart cards”, yeah?), which would have been literally three years ago…
But I thought I paid that. And it wouldn’t be a very large amount at all (unless they attempt to take it to court), so I just… Don’t understand, if it is that, why they are chasing it up now…
I still feel it may be phishing, as others have pointed out, but fuck me are they ever keen on the threats, lol…
It literally sounds like a phishing scam.
I'd ignore it.
I'd ask if this was spam, since you say you don't have a license, but it looks like it links to an actual government website...and without any of the usual tricks, like using a lowercase L for a capital i to hide it being a phishing site.
Yeah, it’s a bit weird.
I still think it could be spam, because spam bank texts look similar, but it’s really… Hard to tell.
I don’t trust their link, anyway. At this point I guess I will call whatever SPER (State Penalty Enforcement Registry, so it claims… Which… Sounds even more dystopian) actually is, quote that number, and if they can prove this is legit, well, I guess I’ll just have to suck it up…
I’ve dealt with debt collectors before. It was… Truly horrible. So I suppose if this is legit (and just shitty), then I don’t want it to get to that point, at least…
Seems absurd, if it is real, for such a small amount…
Much like, as I mentioned, the Tax Office, trying to chase after me for like… Basically almost literally nothing.
Fucking bureaucracy (if, as we say, this isn’t spam)…
It sounds like spam? I got similar texts in Canada about my mail being seized and needing to pay some debt to get it. I have no debt, not even student debt and i dont have letters to my name nor packages.
I got 2 speeding fines in Victoria and never paid them - never ever heard anything from them.