Vickie Balog, an elderly woman living in Sacramento, California, donated her old Mistubishi sedan to the ASPCA in 2019. She said she wanted to help the animals. She expected her donation to be a righteous way to send off her old car. What she didn’t expect was the nightmare that followed her every day since.

Toll violations, towing and storage fees, and speeding tickets bombarded her unexpectedly. She even received a court notice for failing to pay a ticket tied to an unregistered vehicle.

“It has been a nightmare,” Balog told CBS. “I mean, this fiasco has been ludicrous.”

Balog says she did everything right – she turned in her release of liability paperwork to the DMV and her insurance, relying on the new owner who bought her vehicle at auction to register the Mistubishi in their name. Which never happened, making Balog, the last registered owner, responsible.

She was able to clear each bill up, until now

With each ticket that showed up in her mailbox, she was able to prove the vehicle was no longer hers. Last week, however, she was mailed a bill that was sent to collections. The bill was $4,310 for towing and storage fees from May of 2024.

“And I mean, I just didn’t know what to do anymore,” she said. “It was just, it’s been a nightmare.”

Reporters contacted the ASPCA she donated the car too, and they seemed shocked by the “rare” situation. They referred Balog to CARS, the agency that handles donated cars.

“We will always work with the parties involved to ensure the donor is never financially responsible for any fees incurred after the donation,” a spokesperson wrote to the outlet.

CARS cleared up Balog’s name, but the damage was already done

The company confirmed to reporters that employees were able to contact the collections agency and get the debt cleared.

Despite being off the hook for over $4,000, she said she will discourage people from donating their cars in the future.

“Don’t donate it. Or if you do, go down to the DMV with them,” she said. “Be sure to get the car registered in their name and then you’re fine. But, do not let your car go or anything. Go without knowing that your name is off of it.”

Reporters discovered her old Mistubishi has since been dismantled, meaning no more tickets for Balog.