Paper is the problem: Grand Prairie police chief wants to permanently get rid of paper tags
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – The sale of fake license plates is a multi-million-dollar business in Texas. Now Grand Prairie's police chief is hoping to help change the law to permanently get rid of paper tags. Chief Daniel Scesney says the paper is the problem. "You can see just how simple this is," as he showed us fake plates created by GPPD public information officer Mark Beseda. "He's using a very basic program that's available to anybody. There's nothing police-related here."
As easy as they are to make, fake plates are even easier to buy. Police say there are plenty of listings on Facebook Marketplace. "Usually between $70 and $100 you can get you a paper tag," said Officer James Jones. "And that's a lot of money for printing off a piece of paper, so these guys are making a killing."
Sometimes, the same plate is copied over and over again. In November, Grand Prairie officer Brandon Tsai died in a crash while chasing a car with a fraudulent license plate. That exact same tag was spotted on more than 200 other vehicles around the same time. All it took was a copy machine to make those 200 sheets of paper worth up to $20,000 on the black market. And that's a fraction of what's believed to be out there. The North Central Texas Council of Governments estimates there are at least one million fake tags on the roads right now.
We watched Grand Prairie police officers James Jones and Thomas Berrettini pull over several vehicles with paper plates. While a real plate is registered with the DMV and shows the owner's name and address, the fakes lead nowhere. "Somebody gets out here and gets in a wreck and hits somebody and drives off, we have no way to track that vehicle," said Officer Jones.
Officer Berrettini recalled an accident he responded to recently. Four people in a car with a fake plate had crashed into another vehicle then ran away on foot. "The car was unregistered, fake license plate, there was nothing that led us to the house," he said. "Except for a garage door opener." Berrettini said he went down the street pushing the button until he found a home where the garage door opened, then knocked on the door. "They ended up admitting that it was 14-year-olds that were driving the car," he said.
During our ride-along with GPPD, one driver admitted to buying his fake plate on Facebook. He told CBS11 he gave his vehicle information and address to the seller, then paid for the plate through Zelle. Afterwards, he received an email with the plate, which he printed out himself.
The driver said he bought the fake because he couldn't afford to legally register his pickup. Now he'll have to pay the registration and the cost of multiple tickets.
A spokesperson for Facebook's parent company Meta told CBS 11, "We prohibit the sale of fraudulent temporary vehicle tags and encourage people to report suspicious listings to us. We've been collaborating with the Texas DMV to understand the scope and scale of the problem; we continuously work to improve our detection efforts and remove listings that violate our policies."
Chief Scesney says it's time to tear up paper plates for good. "We should go to completely metal plates."
He says the framework is already in place for special license plates. "Today you can take that tag, transfer it to a brand-new car, the dealership turns a form into the DMV and off you go." CBS11 found that the option is available for any vehicle owner who wants to fill out a VTR-904 form, no matter what kind of plates are on the car.
That's the idea behind a new bill filed by State Rep. Craig Goldman; he says HB718 would eliminate all paper plates, with no exceptions. He said law enforcement agencies across the state support the measure. That includes Chief Scesney, who has already made multiple trips to Austin to drum up support. "Every lawmaker I met with - on both sides of the aisle - were very positive about this issue."
We asked the DMV about moving to a metal-only system. The agency said while it doesn't take a position on proposed legislation, it will work with lawmakers "to develop any proposed ideas to continue combating fraud." See the DMV's full statement below.
We also reached out to the Texas Auto Dealers Association. The group repeatedly declined to comment on HB718, instead pointing to HB3927, a 2021 law designed to increase oversight of the paper tag system. In a statement the TADA said, "we hope that these efforts will be given the opportunity to be fully implemented."
Chief Scesney and his officers say until paper plates are eliminated, fraud will continue to be a widespread issue. "This is a way that's being used by our society's worst of the worst to conceal their identity and commit crimes," said Scesney. "It touches every single personin the U.S. in one way or another."
Full statement from Texas Auto Dealers Association:
"Texas Franchised Dealers are united with state officials with the goal to reduce fraudulent tags. The TxDMV recently made a number of changes and added protections that have already helped reduce the prevalence of fraudulent tags and we hope that these efforts will be given the opportunity to be fully implemented." – Jennifer Stevens, Spokesperson
Full statement from DMV:
The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) is committed to supporting the prevention, detection, and investigation of temporary tag fraud, misuse and abuse. Through the many enhancements to dealer licensing procedures, the eTAG system, and improved partnerships with law enforcement, there has been a significant reduction in the number of fraudulent Texas temporary tags being used on the roads. The department will continue to work closely with local, state, and federal law enforcement entities to combat fraud wherever it exists. Although there will always be criminals who will find ways to circumvent the law, TxDMV has addressed many outstanding concerns and will continue to prioritize the reduction of fraud.
Regarding QR codes: The new tags are more complex and secure than previous tags and include additional data and security features to make it easier for law enforcement to identify counterfeit tags. In addition to QR codes, the new design contains embedded data and text which cannot be replicated and is linked to the Texas Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (TLETS), accessible only by law enforcement. For security purposes, we do not discuss specific details about the security features.
Regarding a system of using only metal plates: Current state law requires dealers to issue a buyer's temporary tag at the time of sale. Any change to that process would require legislative action and is not something the department could act on without statutory authority. Department staff will work with members of the legislature as a resource to help develop any proposed ideas to continue combating fraud wherever it is identified. Proposed ideas are reviewed for operational feasibility, financial impact, and their potential to create or perpetuate fraud schemes.
Regarding HB 718: As a state agency, TxDMV does not take a position on proposed legislation. Department staff will work with Representative Goldman, and other members of the legislature, to develop any proposed ideas to continue combating fraud.
Regarding the tracking of reports of fraudulent temporary tag use in Texas and other states: As an administrative agency, TxDMV tracks and investigates complaints against licensed motor vehicle dealers in Texas, including complaints about dealers' possible misuse of the temporary tag system. Department staff refers suspected criminal activity to law enforcement for appropriate investigation and enforcement. We also review information related to fraudulent activity reported by law enforcement agencies, both inside and outside the state, and work with the investigators to provide information supportive to their enforcement operations.
Regarding HB 3927: Since the implementation of this bill, TxDMV has denied access to the eTAG system to 172 dealers and placed limits on the number of temporary tags licensed Texas dealers can create, consistent with the actual sales volume of their business and other business-specific factors. Following the implementation of this bill and other enhanced licensing processes, we have seen the number of new dealers with complaints filed against them in their first year decrease by almost half.
