Why do people cover their lic. plates on Craigslist?

[DaveLC2]

I am sort of in the market for a new daily driver & I can't help but notice how many people cover up their license plates. I mean, you don't drive around with them covered up. You can't get any personal info from them unless you're in law enforcement or work at DMV. The only thing that I can think of is that you can see if a car has had any issues passing smog in California by entering the license plate number or Vin#. Some people take it so far that they end up hiding the whole front or rear of the car so you can't tell if there's any damage. I think it's a case of monkey see monkey do. Here are some examples. The last one is by far my favorite

 

[Nigel]

If someone advertises it for sale with the plate hidden then they have something to hide!

In this country you can do an insurance check with the license plate and find out if it has been crashed in the past they may not want you to be able to do that check!

 

[kamkar]

Craigslist is banned here

 

[Rajagra]

I'm glad one of them did it properly and 'airbrushed' the plate out.

Maybe they're afraid of crooks cloning their number. Sure it can happen during normal use, but once on the Internet it's just a Google search away.

 

[dash riposki]

You can also usually go to your local DMV and get the owner info, address, etc.

I think some people don't want a flock of strangers showing up unannounced.

 

[Sunny]

I don't show plates when selling vehicle.
If buyer is interested, they can have vin number but license plate number is personal.

If someone advertises it for sale with the plate hidden then they have something to hide!

In this country you can do an insurance check with the license plate and find out if it has been crashed in the past they may not want you to be able to do that check!

Yes that something to hide is personal information that no one should know nor should it be advertised.
Need to know basis.

 

[DaveLC2]

You can also usually go to your local DMV and get the owner info, address, etc.

I think some people don't want a flock of strangers showing up unannounced.

That's confidential information. I'm don't know if the DMV would give out that info as there would be a huge liablibity. What if they gave the someone's personal info to a stalker? That would be all bad.

 

[mollydog]

different to America where the state gives you the licence plate and takes it away when you sell the car or move state, but here in the UK where a car registration (like your car licence plate) is on the car for life (with a very few exceptions)

by going on our government web site we can check back around 9 years of the cars MOT (safety checks) and see just how well the car has been maintained and also if there is a large gap in one years mileage could point to the car being off the road due to large damage repair needing doing or maybe just a discrepancy in the mileage from one year to the next, like say one year the mileage is: 125,450 and after the next 12 months the mileage is 124,600, unless its a classic car there is something odd going on

as you’re showing Americans doing this, maybe just a case where the seller is trying to keep his location private

 

[Sunny]

different to America where the state gives you the licence plate and takes it away when you sell the car or move state, but here in the UK where a car registration (like your car licence plate) is on the car for life (with a very few exceptions)

by going on our government web site we can check back around 9 years of the cars MOT (safety checks) and see just how well the car has been maintained and also if there is a large gap in one years mileage could point to the car being off the road due to large damage repair needing doing or maybe just a discrepancy in the mileage from one year to the next, like say one year the mileage is: 125,450 and after the next 12 months the mileage is 124,600, unless its a classic car there is something odd going on

as you’re showing Americans doing this, maybe just a case where the seller is trying to keep his location private

Different rules in different states.
Colorado keeps same license plates.
You take license plates and use it for next vehicle.
But in Texas, you sell it along with the plates.

 

[mollydog]

I was in New York city only last week visiting relatives (for the very first time) and my relative has a German car and wanted to use a German plate at the front, got stopped and taken to court where he was fined $150 for using a German plate at the front, all the right letters and numbers just in a German format and not American

a year later he buys a condo in Florida and finds out in Florida he only needs a rear plate not a front one, so he registers his address (and car) in Florida, and now drives around New York with a German front number plate
never been stopped yet


back view at his Pensilvania cabin



front view at his New York city home



maybe the guys on Craigslist are doing it for privacy

 

[dash riposki]

Colorado is one state they used to let you look up the license plate info for a few dollars. The clerk even tried a few variables until we found the right car, since I had one letter wrong after a hit and run. This was in the early 80's, though, so things may have changed.

 

[Nigel]

Yes that something to hide is personal information that no one should know nor should it be advertised.
Need to know basis.

How can it be personal information when every time you go out on the public road you display it in public - the only purpose of a license plate is so that other road users can read it, it is supposed to be public information and not something personal.

If I want to illegally copy a license plate, I can just walk down the street and there are plenty to choose from.

 

[Dashmellow]

How can it be personal information when every time you go out on the public road you display it in public - the only purpose of a license plate is so that other road users can read it, it is supposed to be public information and not something personal.

If I want to illegally copy a license plate, I can just walk down the street and there are plenty to choose from.

The purpose of a license plate is to identify a specific vehicle and to whom it is registered. The rest of the personal data associated with the vehicle registration is generally considered private but is accessible to law enforcement. In many states it is illegal to run a license plate check on someone else, regardless of the circumstances. Only a member of law enforcement can run a license plate or lookup license plate numbers to find vehicle owner information.

Some states will provide look-up and access to certain information about the owner of a specific registered vehicle while withholding other more sensitive information.

Nowadays, there are many commercial web sites that offer license plate look-up and public records searches but many are of questionable authenticity and are known to offer inaccurate, limited or out-of-date information. A few are considered trustworthy.

 

[dash riposki]

I just checked my tag on one of the commercial search services.
They spit out the correct make, model, color, and year of my car. For $3 they will give me the name of the owner, address, and driving history.
Since I usually remember my name and where I live, I didn't pay.


I don't see a breakdown by state, but some states have some 'anti stalking' provisions where they delay giving out the info, or tell the owner of that tag who has looked them up.
(send them some sort of notification)

Don't assume your registration info is private.

 

[erkme73]

That's confidential information. I'm don't know if the DMV would give out that info as there would be a huge liablibity. What if they gave the someone's personal info to a stalker? That would be all bad.

In FL, they used to give the registered owner's information over the phone. Not any more. Now you physically have to go to the DMV and provide them with ID. They'll give you the info you seek, but you leave behind an audit trail. The thought is, if something happens to the guy, they'll check to see who last did an inquiry on the tag. This is where it pays to have good friends/family in law enforcement. They can also bring up the information. They're not supposed to look it up without an 'official' reason, and certainly they're not supposed to disseminate it... but, when it's friends/family, most look the other way.

 

[mollydog]

here in the UK most car parts suppliers ask for your car registration and up pops your car details then you can order/search for parts, also here by paying a few pounds (5 or 10 not sure) and have a very good reason i.e. hit and run our DVLA will divulge all the details they have on the car and registered keeper,

 

[MyDas]

Some people hide car license plate in pictures so no-one can run the plate and find your address but its not easy nor very legal to run someones plate for no reason.

You can however do it legally though DMV if you sign a paper saying you need this information for legal purpose ONLY... one example would be say someone did a hit and run to your car and you got the plate, but if you already have the license plate you might as well call the cops and they will run the plate for free.

 

[kamkar]

Take a few clicks of the keyboard here, but you will only find stuff if there are debt in the car, if its all paid for you just get car INFO.
I dont like the system as it is.
So as mollydog say we Danes can do the same sourcing parts for our car, if you are so stupid you cant recall make or year of your car.

 

[Borg]

The purpose of a license plate is to identify a specific vehicle and to whom it is registered. The rest of the personal data associated with the vehicle registration is generally considered private but is accessible to law enforcement. In many states it is illegal to run a license plate check on someone else, regardless of the circumstances. Only a member of law enforcement can run a license plate or lookup license plate numbers to find vehicle owner information.

Some states will provide look-up and access to certain information about the owner of a specific registered vehicle while withholding other more sensitive information.

Nowadays, there are many commercial web sites that offer license plate look-up and public records searches but many are of questionable authenticity and are known to offer inaccurate, limited or out-of-date information. A few are considered trustworthy.

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I think that this gives the best answer. Never assume that anything you post on the internet can't be used to determine who you are. And, as you can see from Dashmellow's example, a lot more than that can be gotten.

 

[Cardinal Biggles]

I am sort of in the market for a new daily driver & I can't help but notice how many people cover up their license plates. I mean, you don't drive around with them covered up. You can't get any personal info from them unless you're in law enforcement or work at DMV. The only thing that I can think of is that you can see if a car has had any issues passing smog in California by entering the license plate number or Vin#. Some people take it so far that they end up hiding the whole front or rear of the car so you can't tell if there's any damage. I think it's a case of monkey see monkey do. Here are some examples. The last one is by far my favorite

View attachment 23984
View attachment 23986View attachment 23985
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Scrotes can clone your number plate and put it on a dead ringer motor. The original plate owner then gets all the speeding tickets, parking fines and accident claims.

A friend of mine had this happen to him, and it was a right pain in the neck to get it sorted out.