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SunPass Mix-Up Giving South Dade Man Toll-By-Plate Troubles

MIAMI (CBS4) - John Geraghty's orange Saturn SUV is equipped with a SunPass, but that hasn't stopped him from getting plenty of toll-by-plate invoices.

In fact, he's received eight invoices from the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority since 2010, documents show.

He received the latest one on Monday, charging him for using the Gratigny Expressway.

Problem is, Geraghty says he never drives the Gratigny and the license plate and car in question aren't his.

"Apparently it's misreading something. It's misreading an 'N' on my license plate instead of an 'M'," Geraghty told CBS 4's Lauren Pastrana.

"That's not my car in the picture," he said.

The car in the black and white, grainy image shown on the invoice is an SUV.

It has a spare tire on the back and a luggage rack on the roof. Geraghty's car doesn't have either of those.

The license plate on the vehicle pictured is on the side of the bumper, while Geraghty's tag is right in the center.

Geraghty said he has called and emailed the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority.

In message dated July 14, 2011, Geraghty

An MDX customer service representative responded within two days and the invoices were dismissed by the next week.

The reply from customer service back then said "Please understand that this occurs because our system works automatically/electronically, and these glitches are likely to be repeated."

They were repeated, over and over again.

"It's been a nightmare," Geraghty said. "I mean how long does it take to get something like this taken care of?"

CBS 4 News reached out to MDX to figure out what can be done for Geraghty.

According to the MDX website, failure to pay an invoice could result in a traffic citation. If those go unpaid, a driver could face penalties including the loss of driving privileges.

Geraghty said if this has happened to him so many times, it could happen to you.

He advises you to check toll-by-plate invoices carefully before simply sending a check.

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