Fake Texas Temporary Car Tags Linked to Crimes as Far Away as New York – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
Counterfeit temporary vehicle tags from Texas are popping up on crime scenes as far as New York, and a recent FBI investigation found that more than half a million fraudulent paper tags were sold to buyers across the country by just three people.
“One reason it helps them is because it’s a ghost car,” said Maureen Stefenelli, a detective with the New York Police Department. “That’s what I call a ghost car. It’s pretty much – it might be undetectable. “
The paper tags are intended to be used after someone has bought a car and before permanent metal tags are issued.
New York police said Texas made it a little too easy to get temporary tags online with few questions and little verification.
“You really didn’t have to go to a middleman,” said Detective Thomas Burke. “You could just go to Texas DMV and say, ‘Hey, listen, this is my VIN number, can I get a temporary tag?'”
And that’s not the only way you can get fake tags.
In May, an FBI investigation found that three people in Houston started “fraudulent and fictitious” used car dealers – and received more than 500,000 tags from the DMV that any police officer considered legitimate.
“It’s up to $ 200 or $ 300 on the street,” said Burke. “You can only look at the profit margins.”
They are sold to people who cannot register or who do not want to pay taxes, insurance or tolls.
Counterfeit tags have been a problem in Texas for years.
In 2017, NBC station KPRC-TV went undercover in Houston to showcase how easy it is to buy them.
The label the station received was issued by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles – but was registered with a car dealer who wasn’t even in business.
It was then that state DMV officials recognized the problem, particularly with its overly simple website.
“If someone has an invalid driver’s license, it is not reviewed or verified during the title and registration process,” said Jeremiah Kuntz, a senior DMV official.
The status has made some changes such as: B. adding barcodes to the tags.
But it wasn’t until this year that Texan lawmakers took more action, tightening the process and limiting the number of paper tags used car dealers can receive.
Texas DMV spokeswoman Wendy Cook said the department is still working to implement these changes.
“The department recognizes the effects of the fraudulent use of temporary tags and is continuously analyzing ways to work with our partners to put in place stronger security measures to prevent misuse,” Cook said in an email.
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