You've seen the paper tags driving down the road, but they're also being tied to what some are calling ghost cars.
FOX13 Investigates looks into the problems scope and how they're leading to unsolved crimes.
We are having upwards of thousands of vehicles a year in Memphis and Shelby County that are stolen and being used in other crimes, said Shelby County Sheriffs investigator Sgt. David Mays.
We are having a large portion of them, that once we recover them, there's a remnant of a drive-out tag on it or a drive-out tag is still attached to it, he said.
When a car is sold in Tennessee, car dealers access the Department of Revenue EZ Tag temporary license portal, allowing them to print a paper plate for a customer. Some of those dealers, though, Mays said, may actually be in the business of moving paper tags.
The problem, said Mays, is those tags are easy to copy. Many can be found online and on social media, illegally posted for sale, which is a felony.
We asked why someone would buy a fake drive-out tag.
Theyre using the vehicle to commit a crime, Mays said.
Long lines at the Shelby County Clerks office have contributed to paper tag use. While there are many legitimate reasons for people to have temporary tags, its incredibly hard for police to quickly spot fake ones.
Its almost a dead end for us as far as investigating a crime, Mays said. Its very frustrating because theyre using a stolen vehicle to commit other crimes, robberies, home burglaries, shootings.
A QR code in Tennessee is supposed to help cut down on fraud.
Mays said more seasoned officers sometimes notice small imperfections in the tag, like an incorrect date, or faint or blurry lines, but that usually they have to stop the car for a closer look, situations that can also put officers in danger.
If there's a counterfeit, forged drive-out tag on the vehicle, there's some type of other criminal activity that the driver and or the vehicles been involved in.
Some states require VIN number matching on the paper tags, or even fingerprints matched to tags.
In Tennessee, the Department of Revenue is responsible for oversight of the temporary tag program.
We asked the department for a response to our reporting and whether they would consider adding enhancements to the program.
A spokesperson said the EZ tag program has security measures in place.
Download the FOX13 Memphis app to receive alerts from breaking news in your neighborhood.
Trending stories:
Everything we know about the man accused of ordering Young Dolphs murder
