DRIVERS have been issued a warning to check their cars after a woman was handed a toll bill for trips she didn’t take.
Andrea Lynn from North Harris County, Texas, got a $20 bill for 11 trips in Montgomery County over a three-day period in June, that she never took and is now urging drivers to take precautions.
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Initially, she thought the bill was simply sent in error, until a closer look at the CCTV grab of the vehicle showed what really happened.
“There’s the back of the car with my plate,” she told KHOU-TV Houston while showing reporters the bill she received.
After calling the Montgomery County Toll Authority she discovered that her license plate had unknowingly been removed from her vehicle and replaced with a stolen one.
“I come back to look here where there was a plate and it was a completely different number and I said to her, ‘I have two different license plates on my van,” Lynn said.
Lynn noted that she hadn’t used the van in weeks and that it had been parked in her driveway during that time so there was little time to notice any problems.
“I never really paid attention because there was a plate on there so i didn’t look at ‘is it the same plate?’ I never actually do that,” she added.
After calling the cops, it was found that the plate on her van had been stolen from a vehicle in the Gulfton area – which is far from her location in North Harris County.
Now Lynn and local cops are issuing warnings to drivers that criminals have shifted from stealing paper plates to stealing actual license plates.
It comes just weeks after Texas enforced its new license plate law on July 1, scrapping paper plates which were often targeted by fraudsters for the metal versions.
Ironically, the law that requires dealerships to issue temporary metal plates is hoped to prevent toll evasion – which has cost the state $69 million and address safety concerns.
Lynn says she feels violated by the criminal act that took place on her own driveway.
“It’s annoying that you can’t even keep your vehicles on the property.”
“First they were taking off the paper plates, now they’re taking off our actual license plates.”
Capt. Aaron Strain with Harris County Precinct 4 said Lynn’s case is part of a growing trend of plate theft as the issue is only set to get worse.
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“It doesn’t surprise me at all,” he said.
“We are seeing kind of an uptick on stolen license plates.
“We do expect even higher increases in crime.”
But, he said there are simple ways to help prevent plates being stolen, including using tamper-proof screws that require a special tool to remove.
“These criminals often carry standard tools,” Strain said.
“If they don’t have the right tool to remove the plate, they’ll likely move on to another car.”
The cop-recommended pack of screws is less than $6 from Walmart.
How to prevent license plate theft
- Use tamper-proof screws: Install anti-theft screws that require special tools to remove.
- Park in well-lit areas: Choose locations with good visibility to deter criminals.
- Install security cameras: Use cameras with motion detection around your property.
- Check plates regularly: Memorize your plate number and inspect it often.
- Store vehicles in garages: Keep your car inside to reduce exposure to theft.
