Perfectly healthy scammers could fake their way to free parking on city streets by exploiting shoddy recordkeeping in a program for disabled drivers, a new audit claims.

City Controller [sic] John Liu says the city Transportation Department couldn't account for 22,000 holographic seals that make disabled parking permits official.

If scammers got hold of the seals, they could doctor the dashboard permits and park for free at meters, in no-parking zones and in other off-limits curbside spots.

"The application process for these permits is rigorous, and necessarily so," Liu said. "Unfortunately, the agency's own procedures fall far short of rigorous ... and leaves the city vulnerable to the issuance of fraudulent permits."

More at: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/02/09/2010-02-09_scammers_could_park_for_free_thanks_to_city_confusion__liu.html