Getting hit with a parking fine abroad: how to deal with it?

About two years ago, I parked on a street in Canada where they supposedly charge for parking, but there were zero meters or staff anywhere. Basically, I didn't have a permit.
I didn't get a ticket on the day, either.
Then, about a year and a half later, I get a formal notice of garnishment from an American notary representing some firm out of Canada. They even included a photo of my car and added notary fees of about $167
.
I reached out to them and explained I never received an actual fine, but they just told me there’s nothing they can do. We ended up ignoring the notice. I'm not handing that kind of cash over to a notary when a daily pass is only about $50.

Now, I’ve received another notice of garnishment today. I called them and played dumb, acting like I never got the first one. But they already logged my previous call. Now I’m trying to wiggle out of it, claiming it wasn't me, or that I have a neighbor with the same name who keeps getting my mail... they said they'll send another photo.

The letters weren't sent via certified mail, just regular junk mail. When I asked them to send it certified, the woman told me that isn't an option.

A judge once told us we shouldn't pay because Canada isn't in the European Union and they lack the legal standing to garnish us, but honestly, it's still stressful.
In this latest letter, they actually attached a calculation for the garnishment, totaling around $500.

Does anyone know what I should do? Is this just a scare tactic to see who folds and pays?
And does the statute of limitations kick in after two years? It would be this July.

Lisa Peterson8 said:About two years ago, I parked on a street in Canada where they supposedly charge for parking, but there were zero meters or staff anywhere. Basically, I didn't have a permit.
I didn't get a ticket on the day, either.
Then, about a year and a half later, I get a formal notice of garnishment from an American notary representing some firm out of Canada. They even included a photo of my car and added notary fees of about $167
.
I reached out to them and explained I never received an actual fine, but they just told me there’s nothing they can do. We ended up ignoring the notice. I'm not handing that kind of cash over to a notary when a daily pass is only about $50.

Now, I’ve received another notice of garnishment today. I called them and played dumb, acting like I never got the first one. But they already logged my previous call. Now I’m trying to wiggle out of it, claiming it wasn't me, or that I have a neighbor with the same name who keeps getting my mail... they said they'll send another photo.

The letters weren't sent via certified mail, just regular junk mail. When I asked them to send it certified, the woman told me that isn't an option.

A judge once told us we shouldn't pay because Canada isn't in the European Union and they lack the legal standing to garnish us, but honestly, it's still stressful.
In this latest letter, they actually attached a calculation for the garnishment, totaling around $500.

Does anyone know what I should do? Is this just a scare tactic to see who folds and pays?
And does the statute of limitations kick in after two years? It would be this July.

A collection notice for a parking fine in Canada? Hahahahha

Just ignore those idiots. Let them send whatever they want. Tell them you'll be sending a formal complaint straight to Brussels and they'll lose their lunch privileges. They'll eventually get the hint and stop sending this nonsense.

Lisa Peterson8 said:About two years ago, I parked on a street in Canada where they supposedly charge for parking, but there were zero meters or staff anywhere. Basically, I didn't have a permit.
I didn't get a ticket on the day, either.
Then, about a year and a half later, I get a formal notice of garnishment from an American notary representing some firm out of Canada. They even included a photo of my car and added notary fees of about $167
.
I reached out to them and explained I never received an actual fine, but they just told me there’s nothing they can do. We ended up ignoring the notice. I'm not handing that kind of cash over to a notary when a daily pass is only about $50.

Now, I’ve received another notice of garnishment today. I called them and played dumb, acting like I never got the first one. But they already logged my previous call. Now I’m trying to wiggle out of it, claiming it wasn't me, or that I have a neighbor with the same name who keeps getting my mail... they said they'll send another photo.

The letters weren't sent via certified mail, just regular junk mail. When I asked them to send it certified, the woman told me that isn't an option.

A judge once told us we shouldn't pay because Canada isn't in the European Union and they lack the legal standing to garnish us, but honestly, it's still stressful.
In this latest letter, they actually attached a calculation for the garnishment, totaling around $500.

Does anyone know what I should do? Is this just a scare tactic to see who folds and pays?
And does the statute of limitations kick in after two years? It would be this July.

How did they even get ahold of your full name and address in the first place?

Is there some kind of bilateral agreement between the US and Canada that allows police cooperation in cases like this, or did "Dževad iz Zavidović" just call his cousin "Joza iz širok" (who works as a civil servant for the LAPD) to have him illegally look up and hand over your info?

If it's the latter, you wouldn't just be off the hook—you might actually have grounds to file a report against an unknown perpetrator.

Besides, a "warning before collection" isn't an actual collection order. The fact that they sent two warnings instead of going straight to an order—especially since they didn't move immediately after you ignored the first one—suggests they don't actually have the legal basis to collect.