Re: "it works well enough"
Well, you could do either of those, or you could just do what you are supposed to do.
If you can prove what you say you simply send back the citation with the little boxes in the back filled in and the proof you were somewhere else or a statement to the effect that you never owned the vehicle in question.
Of course, if this is a sign you are the victim of ID theft, then you have an uphill battle, but then a ticket is the least of your problems. Someone bought and registered a vehicle under your name. You'll almost certainly need a lawyer to begin sorting that mess out.
As for the "wasn't there, was somewhere else" scenario; happened to my wife a while back when the Triboro Bridge Authority tried to dun her for tolls she never incurred. Easily fixed by return mail.
Honestly, why would you think that these contingencies hadn't been covered? This could easily have been researched before you knee-jerked. Sometimes I wonder about the people in the IT game these days.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
