I was parked on the street in Lansing one night, outside my house. As I got in the car the next day to go to work, I discovered LPD had a slow night and had ticketed everyone who was parked overnight on the block (stupid city ordinance about no parking between 2-5). So, I coughed up the extortion money and used their online payment system. When I did, I got this email:
On Thursday, February 13, 2014 8:28 AM, "webmaster@ci.lansing.mi.us" <webmaster@ci.lansing.mi.us> wrote:
Your payment has been APPROVED. Thank you!
We recommend that you keep a copy of this email in a safe place. It may be your only record of this transaction.
If you have questions regarding this payment, please contact:
Parking On-Line at 5174834239, or E-mail us at webmaster@ci.lansing.mi.us
::: APPROVED PAYMENT DETAILS :::
Payment Date (YYMMDD): 021314
Payment Amount: $9.00
Transaction ID: 10700104276857.601
Order Number: T10320166
Authorization/Approval Code: 05102C
The response message from the card issuing bank was: Card authorized, exact address match with 5 digit zip code.
-- Bill To Information --
Customer Name: Phillip Hofmeister
Address: <Reacted>
Address 2:
Address 3:
Address 4:
City: Lansing
State/Province: MI
Zip/Postal Code: <Redacted>
Country:
Telephone:
Fax:
-- Ship To Information --
Customer Name: Phillip Hofmeister
Address: <Redacted>
Address 2:
Address 3:
Address 4:
City: Lansing
State/Province: MI
Zip/Postal Code: <Redacted>
Country:
Telephone: <Redacted>
Fax:
E-mail: <Redacted>
Comments:
Additional Information: apiVersion : 1.3.700.0
Order Details:
Order:
Item: T-10320166
Description: Parking Ticket
Price: 9.00
Quantity: 1
Taxable: N
____________________
This merchant's payments are protected by Skipjack Financial Services. For information on Skipjack, please visit www.skipjack.com.
This email motivated me to write this response:
To whomever read this mailbox (if anyone):
This email insults me. It calls me a "customer". A "customer" is a voluntary participant of a mutually beneficial transaction. I am not a "customer" here but rather a victim who has had money extorted out of him by a criminal gang who has threatened to steal my property (my car), if I do not pay their protection money. I am not a customer, I gained nothing from this transaction other than your organized crime gangs pledge not to gank my car. You people sicken me.
...then again, I am a State Employee -- basically a member of another criminal gang. The irony hasn't escaped me.
