Ghost Tags
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Streetsblog Wins Polk Award for ‘Ghost Tags’ Series
Reporter Jesse Coburn received the prestigious award for exposing a vast black market for temporary license plates that reckless drivers use to avoid accountability on the road.
February 19, 2024
Hey, Check Out the Cool (And Fake!) Plates You Can Order With A Few Mouse Clicks
Paper temp tags are so last year. You can get real metal plates — untraceable ones — all over the internet.
January 30, 2024
Wednesday’s Headlines: NJ Gov. Signs ‘Ghost Tags’ Reform After Streetsblog’s Reporting
Lots of news yesterday, both from New Jersey ... and our own damn skies.
January 17, 2024
No License Plates? No Problem! Scofflaw Drivers Remove Tags Yet Rarely Get Caught
Cars without license plates are everywhere in New York City, but the Adams administration is failing to crack down on them, allowing tens of thousands of drivers to dodge accountability in the city each year.
January 16, 2024
New Jersey Lawmakers Pass Major Reforms to Combat Temporary License Plate Fraud
The vote follows a Streetsblog investigation that uncovered widespread misuse of the state's temporary license plates, with car dealers selling the tags illegally to drivers using them to avoid accountability on the road.
January 8, 2024
Dozens of Car Dealers Shut Down for Temporary License Plate Fraud Following Streetsblog Investigation
And seven dealerships identified by Streetsblog as possible temp tag sellers are now under criminal investigation, officials said.
January 8, 2024
Top NJ Lawmaker Proposes Major Reforms to Fight Temporary License Plate Fraud
The new legislation follows a seven-month Streetsblog investigation that found widespread fraud involving temp tags, with car dealers abusing weak state regulations and selling paper plates illegally to drivers using them to evade accountability on the road.
November 28, 2023
City Council Requests Federal Help in Fight Against Black Market for Temporary License Plates
Most of the illegal paper tags in New York are from out of state, making a federal solution necessary to fight temp tag fraud, Council members argued in a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Thursday.
August 4, 2023
New Jersey Proposes Sweeping Reforms That Would Deal a Blow to Illegal Temp Tag Industry
The proposal, which follows a Streetsblog investigation, would be the most significant revision of the state's dealer regulations in more than a decade.
July 28, 2023
‘Law-and-Order’ Council Member Had Fake, Illegal License Plate in Her Driveway
The bogus temporary tag was on a luxury sports car outside the home of Queens lawmaker Vickie Paladino. The car belongs to her son and spokesman, Thomas Paladino Jr.
July 24, 2023
