A 78-year-old woman in Nebraska was billed three times by a fire department for a Northern California city she said she’s never visited or even knew existed before receiving the invoices.
Linda Johnson told news station WOWT-TV that she’s lived her entire life in Omaha and has never visited California. That’s why the septuagenarian was stunned to receive a first responder fee of $353 from the city of Roseville near Sacramento.
The Roseville Fire Department issued the bill for emergency response on Dec. 15, 2025. When it wasn’t paid, Johnson said the department followed up twice more, including sending a past-due notice.
Johnson’s son, Ronald Trammel, told the news outlet he called the Roseville Fire Department and was informed through a recorded message that the invoice stemmed from “the cost recovery of the fire engine’s medical response.”
Worried that a collection agency or credit agency would get involved, Johnson reached out to press. The Roseville Fire Department eventually admitted fault and apologized to Johnson.
Department spokesperson Jaime Garrett told SFGATE in an email that it was a “clerical error” and they don’t have any more information about how the bill was mistakenly sent to a person in Nebraska.
“I’ve got enough bills. I’ve got enough problems,” she told WOWT. “I don’t need some in Roseville, which I’ve never heard of.”