More Texas car dealers have been cut off from issuing temporary paper license plates after the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles caught them selling the tags for profit.
During Tuesday’s TxDMV board meeting the acting director announced 30 dealers have been kicked out of the state’s temporary tag system since January.
The crackdown comes in the months after a series of reports from NBC 5 Investigates highlighted the scope of the problem.
That’s big progress toward stopping dealers who are illegally selling tags right out of the DMV’s system, but the board acknowledged there’s a lot more to do as the bad guys adapt and continue to exploit other gaps in security.
Despite months of discussion, the DMV still does not fingerprint car dealers before giving them a license.
As NBC 5 Investigates first reported months ago this allows criminals to become licensed dealers and get their hands on tags they can sell for big money.
During Thursday’s meeting, the DMV acting director said he hopes to have a fingerprinting plan to the board for approval in June.
But it’s not clear however how soon fingerprinting could be implemented even if it’s approved this summer.
That lack of a clear timeline frustrates some police officers who have spoken with NBC 5 Investigates.
But at least law enforcement and the DMV’s new leadership are now on the same page and agree fingerprinting is key to ending the fraud.
“Members the implementation of fingerprinting dealers during the initial application process and part of the license renewal is our best opportunity to ensure that bad actors do not gain access,” said Daniel Avitia, DMV acting executive director.
“I strongly agree with that because you have to know who you are giving access to your system and if you don’t know who they are and they have a criminal background you are done,” said David Kohler, a deputy with the Travis County Sheriff’s Department.
The DMV has still not given law enforcement real-time access to the temporary tag system so they can better investigate fraudulent tags involved in violent crimes and drug smuggling.
Avitia said Thursday the department is working on that and is dealing with some technical challenges, though, again, he gave no clear timeline on when that might happen.
PREVIOUS REPORTS
April 13, 2022 – TxDMV Closes Inspection Loophole That Put Unsafe Cars on RoadsApril 12, 2022 – Dallas Police Go Undercover to Fight Illegal Paper TagsApril 7, 2022 – Police Warn of Fake Paper Tags Used to Cheat Car BuyersApril 5, 2022 – Texas Senate Will Investigate Illegal Paper Tag Crimes, SmugglingMarch 9, 2022 – Texas Paper Tag Crime Danger Extends NationwideMarch 5, 2022 – Texas House Will Hold Hearings on Paper Tag MessFeb. 28, 2022 – License to Smuggle: Drug Cartels and Human Smugglers Use Paper Texas Tags to EvadeFeb. 15, 2022 – Fort Worth Police Announce Special Operation Targeting Paper TagsFeb. 14, 2022 — Crash Victim’s Parents Want More Cops to Police Paper Tag FraudFeb. 13, 2022 – More Funding Need to Fight Criminals Using Bogus Paper Tags: PoliceFeb. 10, 2022 – Police Report Drop in Fraudulent Tags But Warn Crooks Are AdaptingFeb. 9, 2022 – Texas DMV Shuts Down Six More Dealers Suspected of Selling Paper License TagsFeb. 7, 2022 – TxDMV Director Resigns Amidst Paper Tag MessJan. 27, 2022 – TxDMV Takes Emergency Action to Keep Crooks From Selling Paper TagsJan. 21, 2022 – Dallas Police Operation Targets Fraudulent Paper TagsJan. 17, 2022 – Recording Shows Police Warned TxDMV of Paper Tag Security Flaw Years AgoDec. 16, 2021 – DMV Committee Recommends Fingerprinting Some Dealers to Slow Paper Tag FraudDec. 14, 2021 – Texas House Transportation Chair Vows to Stop Paper Tag FraudDec. 6, 2021 – Texas DMV Boss Deflects Blame for Paper Tag DebacleNov. 23, 2021 – Illegal Paper Tags Costing Texas Taxpayers and Toll Roads MillionsNov. 10, 2021 – Suspected Paper Tag Peddler Shut Down Tuesday, Reopens Wednesday: InvestigatorsNov. 8, 2021 – How Texas Paper Tags Became a $200M Criminal Enterprise: NBC 5 Investigates
