Accused of hitting car: What am I in for?

[Flash Brown]

So I go out to my car and find a note on it. Paraphrased: "My neighbor saw you hit my car; please call me at 555-1212 so we can resolve this. I have marks on my bumper and I took pictures."

I'm frankly tempted to simply ignore this. I don't even know if I'm supposed to have hit the car in front of me or in back of me when I was parking. I know darn well I didn't sideswipe anyone or knock out a head- or taillight. It was dark, so I couldn't inspect my bumpers thoroughly, but I didn't see any big scrapings. I'm afraid that calling this person will be in itself an admission of guilt, but if they took pictures, they must have gotten my plate number as well. So what's the worst that can happen?

[Zuul]

Having accidentally knocked bumpers with another car while pulling out of a parking space once, I can tell you that if you did anything more than superficial paint scratches you would have felt it. It's entirely possible that you left some marks in the paint without noticing it, but if they try claiming body damage or that you took out a light it seems unlikely if you're unaware of it even happening.

I'd call the neighbor, after inspecting your car. If the neighbor's car is still out there, look at that one, too. Try to be prepared for what might come up in the conversation. It is possible for one car's paint to be more damaged than the other, so if you have a tiny scratch and he has a big scrape that doesn't mean you didn't cause it.

If the neighbor isn't an idiot, he'll just want some cash for repairing the paint. Hopefully that'll be all it is. If he is an idiot, I suppose he could try going through insurance for more.