Is posting license plates on the forums a bad idea?

[Talon_Wolfe]

I was talking to a DMV employee today who told me that its not a good idea since anyone can come in and armed with a plate number, ‘pull a registration’- which means that person would be then driving an unregistered vehicle. I have never heard of such a thing, and wondered if he were mistaken. I see license plates on these boards from time to time, but sometimes I see the plates blurred out too.

So... what do you guys think?

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[BreakFixRepeat]

Whats the difference in seeing a plate number on the forum or seeing a plate on the road? You see thousands of plates every day on the road.

 

[formattc]

Yes, because people pay more attention online. I hunt people for a living, and I love it when they post a photo of their car with the plate showing.

 

[BreakFixRepeat]

Only reason i can think is if you are posting a picture or video of your vehicle doing something illegal.

 

[BreakFixRepeat]

Yes, because people pay more attention online. I hunt people for a living, and I love it when they post a photo of their car with the plate showing.

I can say thats kind of creepy. In that case, hide yo plates fools!!!

 

[formattc]

I can say thats kind of creepy. In that case, hide yo plates fools!!!

LOL, one could actually describe my job as "professional stalker", but only when I'm paid for it, so everyone here is safe.

 

[Talon_Wolfe]

So armed with someone’s plates, it is true you can wreak havoc on someone’s life? At least when it comes to their vehicle registration?

 

[formattc]

So armed with someone’s plates, it is true you can wreak havoc on someone’s life? At least when it comes to their vehicle registration?

With their tag number, I can find out every other piece of important information about their life, before I even start looking at Facebook.

I can see:

SSNs
Addresses, possibly going back decades.
Phone numbers, also possibly going back decades.
Email addresses.
IP addresses
Bankruptcies.
Lawsuits.
Criminal records.
Relatives, including distant, most often.
Utilities, utility bills.

....and more, so yes, hide your license plates online, always.

 

[BreakFixRepeat]

With their tag number, I can find out every other piece of important information about their life, before I even start looking at Facebook.

I can see:

SSNs
Addresses, possibly going back decades.
Phone numbers, also possibly going back decades.
Email addresses.
IP addresses
Bankruptcies.
Lawsuits.
Criminal records.
Relatives, including distant, most often.
Utilities, utility bills.

....and more, so yes, hide your license plates online, always.

Wow! Heck you can get all that! If you told me your ssn i would not even know where to start in using that. And you tracking down distant relatives with a tag number! Im taking the tags off my jeep and putting a paper that says lost tag. Lol

 

[formattc]

Wow! Heck you can get all that! If you told me your ssn i would not even know where to start in using that. And you tracking down distant relatives with a tag number! Im taking the tags off my jeep and putting a paper that says lost tag. Lol

LOL, yeah, it's generally bad for my work to tell people things like this, but this is a community, so I turn my job off here and places like it.

 

[BreakFixRepeat]

Thanks for the info though! I definitely learned a thing or two!

 

[Cleankat]

I never got the paranoia about it, your plate is on display all the time wherever you go......it ain't a secret.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I was talking to a DMV employee today who told me that its not a good idea since anyone can come in and armed with a plate number, ‘pull a registration’- which means that person would be then driving an unregistered vehicle. I have never heard of such a thing, and wondered if he were mistaken. I see license plates on these boards from time to time, but sometimes I see the plates blurred out too.

So... what do you guys think?

No, they can't.
If they could they could go through Walmart parking lot and take thousands of photos and do the same.
And only law enforcement can look up information - it's illegal for anyone outside of enforcement. My wife and I worked for the state and worked side by side with people in public safety - a friend of hers is married to a trooper - you can't just walk in and - what the heck is "pull a registration" anyway?
Here you must have the physical plates in your possession or you can't do squat. And you have to have title and registration to do anything big.
So far those I've challenged have not been able to do much beyond what's already public record (phone book type stuff) when I have them try to get info based on a plate number. SSNs aren't even used on driver licenses any more, so aren't connected to a vehicle.

 

[PyrPatriot]

No, they can't.
If they could they could go through Walmart parking lot and take thousands of photos and do the same.
And only law enforcement can look up information - it's illegal for anyone outside of enforcement. My wife and I worked for the state and worked side by side with people in public safety - a friend of hers is married to a trooper - you can't just walk in and - what the heck is "pull a registration" anyway?
Here you must have the physical plates in your possession or you can't do squat. And you have to have title and registration to do anything big.
So far those I've challenged have not been able to do much beyond what's already public record (phone book type stuff) when I have them try to get info based on a plate number. SSNs aren't even used on driver licenses any more, so aren't connected to a vehicle.

It may differ state-by-state. In KY you most certainly can get SOME information from a license plate. Heck, you can even get a 3 year driving history on anyone licensed to drive in KY.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

It may differ state-by-state. In KY you most certainly can get SOME information from a license plate. Heck, you can even get a 3 year driving history on anyone licensed to drive in KY.

Some information - likely stuff that's already public record - for example, I got all of the court information related to the guy who killed my father when he fell asleep and crossed the highway - all I needed was his NAME. No license plate needed. Public record - his arrests, tickets, the fines he paid and more. All just by plugging in his name. I knew he was arrested for violating curfew, had a ticket for driving 85 in a 55, lost his license, was arrested for driving while suspended......
That's because it's PUBLIC RECORD, not because of any numbers or pics on a forum.
If I knew your name I could get your address and likely find court records that are public record. Not that I want to, but it proves nothing at all. Either way.

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