A silly question

[Breeze3at]

How come people obscure or cover the license plate number when they post pictures? I know it is possible to find out a name and address (but it's more difficult than just calling the DMV) but other than finding out where the vehicle may live, what good would it do a criminal? It especially puzzles me when the vehicle is for sale, and making a phone call would give you names and address.

 

[HDDon]

Maybe they have wants and warrents out for them. Just a guess

 

[mvd00024]

I don't know :s

 

[TXRKC]

Somebody asked this same question a while ago on another forum I'm on. People that blocked their plates said they didn't want people to look them up and come steal their vehicle or parts out of it. My thought was that it seemed kinda pointless since most of us dont live anywhere near each other. But when they drive around their own town, everyone there can see their plates and are way more likely to break into the car than somebody on the internet a hundred miles or more away.

 

[rhino 2]

Probably just being cautious, :newsmile058:

 

[Jack Klarich]

Very good question, this goes way back to alot of bikes featured in Easyriders Magazine HMMMM

 

[SledDog]

Maybe they cover their plates for the same reson people wear tin foil hats.anic

 

[gasbag]

Oh crud, I didn't think anyone noticed that I did that.
Now I guess I am going to have to move too.

 

[Dynajoe]

Good question. My license plate has never been obscured, I hope that I am OK??
I know to remove the plate to race at some outing, say like the local summertime drag races. If the dealer sees that you have been racing, warranty goes buy bye. But I don't race, I just cruise baby, cruise... so put that in your s2-1496

 

[R_W_B]

Florida just recently last year changed the DMV "public" part of the internet site. Prior to that you could look up a person's tag number and actually see their social security number on it.

I don't know how many other states were practicing such ignorance besides Florida in today's multi-billion dollar identity theft problems. But I imagine that is why folks hide their tags.

Yes it's harder to look up their address that way, but you can't find the social security number in the phone book. When you publish your tag you are basically giving a crook a flag that says "looking for a new SS identity, here's one".

Hopefully Florida was the only one but I don't know that. I do know that "now" a Florida tag is secure for sensitive data. At least until someone hacks into the system.