Being asked to pay a speeding fine a second time - scam?

[Rosa]

Hello!
By mistake I exceeded the speed limit in a hired car back in April 2017, whilst visiting Bulgaria for a few weeks. When this happens in a hired car, the driver is traced via the car rental company. So, the rental company informed me of this, after I was already back home in UK, and gave me the info I needed to pay the fine.
At my next BG visit, during autumn 2017, I went to the local police station and paid the fine with levs in cash at the desk there. I must have been given a receipt but can not find it, maybe it is at our BG house.
Anyway, I have now, in January 2019, received a letter here in UK from the Bulgarian Ministry of Interior, telling me that I have not paid this fine. The letter seems genuine as it includes the details of the car hire company and the date of the offence etc, and a case number.
However, strangely, the sticker at the back of the envelope shows it came from Egham in Surrey, from a man called Denis Valkov, from an organisation called STARPOST OOD. Such an organisation does exist, and it might be genuinely serving the Bulgarian ministry, and yet this just so smells like a scam. Anyone else with an experience of being asked to pay the same speeding fine twice, AND almost two years after the actual offence? Scam or error?

[ChrisF]

Starpost is actually quite a big courier company so it is quite possible that the Ministry of Interior uses it for overseas post.
It's a pity you haven't got the receipt but if you can pinpoint at least the month and say which police station you paid the fine at then I think you should argue your case, especially if you can produce the details the rental company gave you.

[Rosa]

Thank you for your comment ChrisF. I shall see if I can find the receipt at our BG house this spring.
Just to explain: the main reason why this looks a bit suspicious to me is that the details of the Starpost OOD on the internet show that the company is based in Sofia, and belongs to Desislava Dimitrova Valkova and Ivaylo Aleksandrov Valkov, and employs 164 people. And yet, the person who actually sent me the letter from the Bulgarian Interior Ministry posted it from UK. He included his address sticker on the back of the envelope, with these details: Denis Valkov, STARPOST OOD, 21 Albany Court, Albany Place, Egham, Surrey, TW20 9GP. It is easy to see on the net that this address is a flat in Egham. Denis Valkov? Rogue son of the Valkovs? Oh well, maybe it is all innocent...

[varnagirl]

"" And yet, the person who actually sent me the letter from the Bulgarian Interior Ministry posted it from UK. He included his address sticker on the back of the envelope, with these details: Denis Valkov, STARPOST OOD, 21 Albany Court, Albany Place, Egham, Surrey, TW20 9GP. It is easy to see on the net that this address is a flat in Egham. Denis Valkov? Rogue son of the Valkovs? Oh well, maybe it is all innocent... ""


Oh well, maybe it is all innocent... ""...very much doubt that after what you have now said

[oldtimer]

Having had a couple of speeding fines, or say they say, I was never able to pay at the Police Station only at the bank. Not sure about whether is a scam or not but I hedge my bets that it could be

[Rosa]

Hello "oldtimer".
Would you be able to tell me whether the details of the bank account into which you had to pay your fine were these:
Travel Safety Fund, Bulgarian National Bank, IBAN: BG64BNBG96613100147701, BIC code: BNBGBGSF? This is what is in the letter I am talking about.

[varnagirl]

""Payment of a fine imposed by an electronic fiche (K series)

Bank account (IBAN) BG64 BNBG 9661 3100 1477 01
In the name of: Traffic Safety Fund
Bank Code (BIC): BNBGBGSD
Bulgarian National Bank ""

area Sliven

Ministry of the Interior
Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior - Sliven