- Texas scrapped paper plates in July, replacing them with red-striped metal versions.
- Harris County deputies seized a counterfeit plate made cheaply from wrap material.
- Experts warn that demand and fraud could mirror that of the old paper tag crisis.
Just as fast as some law enforcement agencies attempt to make life harder on criminals, the scofflaws they target are coming up with countermeasures. In this case, the battleground is Texas, where officials recently launched metal-only temporary license plates. Just two months later, counterfeit versions are available. Get this… the state’s government has been defeated by stickers.
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More: Over 30 Dealers Shut Down For Allegedly Printing Fraudulent Paper License Plates
Texas killed off paper tags two months ago in hopes of making roads safer. Paper tags are often associated with crime and dealers all over the country have ended up in hot water after issuing them when they shouldn’t have. The Lone Star state thought it had a solution by issuing metal temp tags via the DMV and through dealers. Sadly, Harris County constables say there’s a problem.
Stickers in Place of Steel
They recently pulled over a Honda CR-V with what looked like a legitimate red-striped 30-day temp tag. The issue though was that it wasn’t legitimate at all. Investigators speaking to NBC Dallas say the identifying marks were a sticker-like vehicle wrap material. When deputies ran the number, it came back as a 2012 Ford Focus. The driver admitted he bought the bogus tag for just $120.
The state rolled out the red-striped tag along with three other colors to denote different types of temporary tag. Dallas County Tax Assessor John Ames says that demand has doubled compared to the old paper permits, with nearly 7,000 issued in Dallas alone in less than two months. Statewide, over 91,000 have already gone out.
Fraud Concerns Return
Constable Sgt. Jose Escribano, one of the state’s leading experts on tag fraud, isn’t surprised counterfeiters moved this quickly. “Instead of the rise of the machine, the rise of the wraps may be coming,” he said. “If it’s red, you run it because it could be a wrap, too, and you want to make sure that the tag matches what your return is.”
For now, officials maintain there’s no proof of widespread fraud with the new system. Even so, with thousands of red-striped plates already circulating, some worry Texas may be heading toward a replay of the paper tag crisis, this time with counterfeit wraps instead of counterfeit ink.
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