GS1455 Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 Hello all, what is the purpose that some obscure their license plate in online photos and others do not? what can someone do with that online that someone cannot do seeing the car drive by or at a show? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retiredmechanic74 Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 9 minutes ago, GS1455 said: Hello all, what is the purpose that some obscure their license plate in online photos and others do not? what can someone do with that online that someone cannot do seeing the car drive by or at a show? I believe it's called.......paranoia 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 I've never figured this out myself. The only exception, might be a car that isn't driven and somehow very valuable but still tagged. Maybe the seller doesn't want everybody knowing where they live and want to screen potential buyers. I think this would only be a consideration if something is as mentioned, not really driven and more squirled away. 99.9 percent of the cars listed with obscured plates don't fall into this category. I think you need a connection with DMV or law enforcement to be able to use that plate number to find out the address it calls home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brass is Best Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 Scammers like to do this. It helps them when they have pictures of a car in Michigan and are trying to say it is in Nebraska. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dep5 Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 One can go online and easily get ownership information on real estate; why are motor vehicles sacrosanct? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vila Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 I never understood that either and Retiredmechanic74 is exactly right, PARANOIA. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 Makes sense for a scammer with a Desirable out of state car to do. Not people with a rusted out Dodge Omni though. I seem to see more of the later. I also look for plates in the background to see if the car is in the state it's suppose to be in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
39BuickEight Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 7 minutes ago, auburnseeker said: I seem to see more of the later. I also look for plates in the background to see if the car is in the state it's suppose to be in. exactly, or palm trees or other geographical indicators of where the car actually was when it was photographed 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
39BuickEight Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 42 minutes ago, dep5 said: One can go online and easily get ownership information on real estate; why are motor vehicles sacrosanct? Probably to help (key word help, of course there is still plenty of auto-related crime committed) keep crime down. It's not easy to steal or change titles/serial numbers on a house. It's much easier to play with license plates-find cars-steal them. If I drove a desirable vehicle, I wouldn't want a person to be able to look up my plate number and instantly know where I live. It also goes to how police tell you not to chase down vehicles (whether they hit you and ran, whatever the reason) due to safety concerns. If you could look up the plate and find someone, things could get bad in several different ways. Road rage would be taken to a whole different level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
28 Chrysler Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 I have also wondered why some people whiteout the faces on 40 - 80 year old photos. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pomeroy41144 Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 This was discussed in detail on another forum, with two law enforcement guys chiming in. According to the two LEOs, no one can "look up" your license plate. Not even cops, unless it is for official business. It was discovered that the most important info a scammer could get was the owner's name and the make of car. Any info gotten would have been spawned from those two data points. So, the blotting out of the plate numbers, numbers that can be seen by anybody on the street, are much to do about NOTHING. 18 minutes ago, 39BuickEight said: If I drove a desirable vehicle, I wouldn't want a person to be able to look up my plate number and instantly know where I live. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenhudson Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 I think some of this paranoia is warranted in some areas. About 20 to 25 years ago you could go to a DMV regional office in New York state with a plate number and for a small amount of cash $5.00 or less get information on registrant of that vehicle. Always thought it was a breach of privacy, and don't know if the practice has been stopped. It was a income producing item for DMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimy Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 2 minutes ago, greenhudson said: think some of this paranoia is warranted in some areas. About 20 to 25 years ago you could go to a DMV regional office in New York state with a plate number and for a small amount of cash $5.00 or less get information on registrant of that vehicle. Always thought it was a breach of privacy, and don't know if the practice has been stopped. It was a income producing item for DMV. Same in CA until the early 1980s, but the requester's driver's license number was recorded. I actually used that a couple of times to find owners of cars seen on the road that I wanted to offer to buy. However, a number of stalkers used that procedure to find the residences of ladies whom they found compelling. In the most celebrated instance of the latter, a stalker waited outside the apartment house of "Raging Bull" actress Theresa Saldana and stabbed her ten times when she exited the building, almost killing her. The attacker reportedly got her address from a private detective, who in turn got it from DMV under the $5 program. That attack especially, in conjunction with others, prompted a near-immediate termination of that "the public has a right to know" program. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pomeroy41144 Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 My Illinois license plate is 3161YK. Now Go!!!! See if you can find me. I'd bet my bottom dollar you cannot. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleek Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 Along the same lines, have you ever noticed new car commercials on tv sometimes use cars with the license plates painted the same color as the car? Seems strange to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 My '60 Electra has a 1960 New York license plate with the code letters "UT" on it. I drove up to Utica a while back and John DeFiore said "Hey, that's a Utica plate!" I haven't slept well ever since. Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandy Dave Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 10 minutes ago, 60FlatTop said: My '60 Electra has a 1960 New York license plate with the code letters "UT" on it. I drove up to Utica a while back and John DeFiore said "Hey, that's a Utica plate!" I haven't slept well ever since. Bernie Ohhhh. Leave it to JD to notice that. Stop loosing sleep and have a Utica Club or two Burnie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John348 Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 35 minutes ago, greenhudson said: I think some of this paranoia is warranted in some areas. About 20 to 25 years ago you could go to a DMV regional office in New York state with a plate number and for a small amount of cash $5.00 or less get information on registrant of that vehicle. Always thought it was a breach of privacy, and don't know if the practice has been stopped. It was a income producing item for DMV. In my part of NYS, DMV was a 4 -6 hour line just to get into the door 25 years ago, it was far from a casual event 1 hour ago, Fleek said: Along the same lines, have you ever noticed new car commercials on tv sometimes use cars with the license plates painted the same color as the car? Seems strange to me. I am pretty sure that is done for a different reason, a lot of it has to with presentation to the viewer, also many ads are filmed in foreign countries and they produce voice overs for whatever country it is aired in. 14 minutes ago, 60FlatTop said: My '60 Electra has a 1960 New York license plate with the code letters "UT" on it. I drove up to Utica a while back and John DeFiore said "Hey, that's a Utica plate!" I haven't slept well ever since. Bernie Yep BX was Bronx County, BK was Brooklyn or Kings County, NU was Nassau County Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter J.Heizmann Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 37 minutes ago, John348 said: I am pretty sure that is done for a different reason, a lot of it has to with presentation to the viewer, also many ads are filmed in foreign countries and they produce voice overs for whatever country it is aired in. Hi, John. Hope all is well. I can attest to this. Many years ago I was on the "new I-78" heading east in New Jersey. Some of you may recall that I-78 came to an end at the current Plainfield, NJ exit where you were forced to head down to Rt. 22 to continue into New York. This lasted for years due to environmentalists protesting the highway construction. Anyway on one trip I saw highway signs affixed to an overpass at Plainfield. I recall it stating "Autobahn, a direction arrow to go straight for Munich and so many kilometers". I pulled over out of curiosity and spoke with a cop who said BMW was shooting a TV commercial. Regards, Peter J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilgrim65 Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 4 hours ago, dep5 said: One can go online and easily get ownership information on real estate; why are motor vehicles sacrosanct? Annoys me too. , having this information would scupper a lot scammers as you could then check who the true owners are , or at least the true location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobg1951chevy Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 Worry about exposed license plate numbers belong to the person who stuffs their money under their mattress, because they don't trust banks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 I think the license plate numbers should be the owner of the car's cell phone number so if one wanted to, they could call them up and tell them how stupid they are driving. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lump Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 I can contribute to this discussion. As a professional automotive writer and advertising/marketing guy for over 30 years, I have personally seen a few cases of folks blowing up in a rage when they see a photo of their car depicted in a magazine article, car show poster, or auto parts catalog. Often folks think that they "own" ANY image of their car. But over the years multiple attorneys have advised me that, if you put your car on display IN PUBLIC and a photographer shoots an image of it, the photographer then owns that image GENERALLY SPEAKING. (Indeed, you can find images for sale on CD's or online featuring cars that photogs have shot at cruise-ins and car shows, often without the knowledge of the car owners.) However, attorneys have also advised me that it is much easier and cheaper to avoid conflict in the first place. So, if we need to use a photo from my files for my clients, we often alter the image, making the car more generic (IE: change paint color, remove any stickers from windows or bumpers, change wheels/tires, delete accessories like spot lights, etc), so that the image no longer exactly represents anyone's car. One thing for sure; we NEVER publish a photo with a license plate visible. Why open yourself for an argument? Besides which, no one wants to make car owners unhappy. Moreover, I've heard of cases when people sued because their face appeared in a photo, because they claimed they were damaged by the photo's appearance (IE: Like a guy who called in sick,. but then went to a car show that day, and his boss saw the photo). At my own swap meet/car show events, we post signs at every entrance warning attendees that we do take photos and/or videos at the event, and that we will be using those images in public in any fashion we think best. Thus, if they don't want their photo taken or used, they are better off not attending. Another thing is that folks often THINK that, if their license plate number is shown in a photo, then thieves will trace the plate to their garage and come steal their vehicle. It doesn't matter what is true. If people believe that, then they're going to get plenty angry when a photo featuring their license plate number appears. We live in "Lawsuit World" these days, and anyone can sue anyone with or without merit, for very little cost. Removing someone's license plate number from a photo is super easy, and often a pretty good idea, in my experience. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
39BuickEight Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 4 minutes ago, DAVES89 said: I think the license plate numbers should be the owner of the car's cell phone number so if one wanted to, they could call them up and tell them how stupid they are driving. I have always wanted a programmable LED screen in my window to send such messages 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retiredmechanic74 Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 3 minutes ago, 39BuickEight said: I have always wanted a programmable LED screen in my window to send such messages At Sam's Club they had a small programmable sign with a keyboard that could be mounted on the consul. I really, really thought about buying it but changed my mind because what I would say....would probably cause the sound of gunfire. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 4 hours ago, bobg1951chevy said: Worry about exposed license plate numbers belong to the person who stuffs their money under their mattress, because they don't trust banks. There is something to not trusting banks. You give them a substantial amount of money, they give you nothing in interest and then have a fit when you come in to take some of it out. I had the money from selling my old shop in my account. I went in to get 4000 cash out on a Monday afternoon after a Holiday weekend (we are a tourist town) the teller said we really need notice to make sure we have that kind of money on hand but they would do it this time. The entire time I was there one of the local merchants was in there having his cash deposit for the weekend counted out and put in his account. This is a big branch, not a little bank. I also had money in this same bank and purchased a car by wiring the fairly large sum out, bringing my balance down to about 498 if I remember correctly. When I deposited money in that account and created it, they said do you want this account that yields nothing or this one that has a minimum of 500 which will yield hopefully enough of a difference to pay for the gas to get to the bank. It was less than 1/2 a percent different. Well of course I chose the better interest one. Never once did the bank officer mention anything about that 500 minimum when I transferred the money out. I didn't find out about it, until 3 months later when they sent out a quarterly statement for that account and they had banged me 15 for each month for being under the minimum. When I went in to complain about it and ask why no one mentioned it, I was directed to the bank officer on duty. The same one that transferred the money out. I was able to get it reduced to just one charge. Yeah that kind of trust the bank has been trying to build with me. What a joke. You are better to stuff it under the mattress sometimes. I won't even tell you about going in for a mortgage on our new house which is already more than 2/3 paid for (through owner financing) to get it converted to a conventional bank loan. Made me want to take the money I had in their bank from selling my shop, which was in their bank at that time and just pay the thing off. If I wasn't planning on building my new shop at the house, I would have. I'm not real fond of banks they are more of a necessary evil. We won't get into the bank across the street that I switched from. My friend a very successful business man here in town that I think owns a large chunk of the town, has much the same impression and his daughter used to work for them. She now works for him in one of his businesses. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 A bank thinks of all the deposits as THIER money. They can invest it and make more money. You only have a computer line item as proof they (or if they go belly up the Fed) will reluctantly give you the amount back. Of course they have to take their fees out first. I’m surprised they haven’t figured out a way to charge you a fee for opening the front door. Remember the teller charge if you talked to a teller instead of using a machine. I recently had a problem with an automatic deduction of $22.50 each month for my dental insurance. The company was charging me twice each month. After two months of hassle with the ins co I called the bank and asked how I could automatically stop the second deduction. The bank said I could only stop all or none of the payments to the co. As they also have our other medical and drug ins I couldn’t do that. They suggested I just put a stop payment on one of them each month until it got fixed. The bank charges $33.50 for an electronic stop payment. Have fun dave s 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobg1951chevy Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 Guess the mattress idea sounds better, after reading those two posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 I wonder how many times a vehicle gets photographed enroute to and from a car show these days, with all the cameras one sees at intersections, toll bridges, etc. (If you want to get your licence plate photo taken FOR SURE, either park in a 'Park Plus' zone that photographs cars like they do here, or run a red light where there's a camera.) I've noticed that a LOT lately, in calendars, where a beautiful photo of a vintage car or truck with an appropriate Y.O.M. plate is needlessly blanked out. I state 'needlessly' as the Y.O.M. plate is not usually the valid one. It really takes away from the photo where the that year-of-manufacture plate is the ultimate finishing touch to an old car or truck. Craig 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dei Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 Another place plates are visible is YouTube. My car was captured and posted more than a few times this past year and the plates are visible. Actually, I don't mind them displayed as they are the last year we turned plates in for new metal ones then going to the sticker system. That was 1973 and gives proof to my owning it for all these years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 Google maps street view shows a lot of plates as well. Also showed my wife and kids out for a walk. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
39BuickEight Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 They had me cutting the grass for a while until my address photo was updated last year 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capngrog Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 On 2/7/2018 at 9:56 AM, GS1455 said: Hello all, what is the purpose that some obscure their license plate in online photos and others do not? what can someone do with that online that someone cannot do seeing the car drive by or at a show? It's the same mindset involved in many Forum members' decision not to post their address, state or region. Paranoia. Cheers, Grog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
28 Chrysler Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 23 hours ago, Pomeroy41144 said: My Illinois license plate is 3161YK. Now Go!!!! See if you can find me. I'd bet my bottom dollar you cannot. West Hammond Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pomeroy41144 Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 8 minutes ago, 28 Chrysler said: West Hammond Nope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capngrog Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 51 minutes ago, 28 Chrysler said: West Hammond As in Hammond, Indiana? Cheers, Grog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pomeroy41144 Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 (edited) Nope. Just use the license plate info. That is what the hub bub is about right? Use the license plate info and find my street address. West Hammond does not exist -- you will get nowhere with the West Hammond stuff. It is an inside joke between me and another enthusiast. . . . Edited February 8, 2018 by Pomeroy41144 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 I have personal plates on a coupe of my vehicles. A couple of years ago I got a letter from someone whose father was retiring and wanted to buy my "JACK" license plate for dads retirement. The odd thing is they knew I had "JACK M" as well and might settle for that one. The offer was probably not out of line at $100 plus all expenses and two years tags. I have no idea how they chased me down, but I did not reply. I hope Jack is enjoying his retirement and much as I am. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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