I got that chain e-mail that warns the reader about thiefs who take license plates and use them to steal gas.
http://www.snopes.com/fraud/autos/gastheft.asp

While it seems kindof absurd, the day after graduation I went outside and my license plate had obviously been messed with. It had been pulled from the bottom (as though someone tried to yank it off). I looked down the parking lot and everyone's license plate was like that.

Do you think this is just a prank or should I reinforce my license plate a little better?

5/12/2008 11:16:35 PM

probably a prank...people use to do that to others at lake park all the time when i lived there

5/12/2008 11:17:23 PM

They pulled on your license plate? What kind of lazy ass thief doesn't have a cordless drill.
This is 2008.
Dewalt.
Lowes, Home Depot.

Seriously folks.

5/12/2008 11:53:11 PM

get a tag frame and tighten it at all four points with special screws (or bolts-- whatever they are).

I don't know what kind of screws they are, my dad did mine for me... but it's really secure.

I guess I'm not much help then.


But I never worry about it because it'd have to be a pretty resourceful criminal who was set on getting MY plate over all the easier/quicker ones parked near me.

5/12/2008 11:54:14 PM

i find the post above me helpful

also, is there anyway you could back in your spot and angle the car to where its hard to get the plate?

[Edited on May 12, 2008 at 11:55 PM. Reason : or at least more cumbersome so the person wouldnt try to get it]

5/12/2008 11:55:23 PM

if they were going to steal gas, wouldn't the gas station need to use a video camera to catch your license plate? you could pretty easily prove that it wasn't your car they were driving

5/13/2008 1:09:01 AM

the point isn't to put the blame on someone else, but to prevent blame of oneself

[Edited on May 13, 2008 at 1:47 AM. Reason : ]

5/13/2008 1:46:51 AM

^ this is one of several reasons why most gas stations will not allow you to pump without prepaying or using a card at the pump.

[Edited on May 13, 2008 at 2:47 AM. Reason : .]

5/13/2008 2:46:01 AM

yeah, get some torx pin screws

it's not like the drivers are hard to find by any means, but it's at least a small deterrent... and i'd be willing to bet the vast majority of thieves aren't going to bring anything except for a flathead and maybe a philips driver.

5/13/2008 5:26:32 AM

I've had tags stolen. You can buy those saftey screws at Advance. And yes, everyone has torx bits these days, but it's more a psychological thing, why bother when you take the tags off the next car with just a pocket knife.

5/13/2008 9:52:50 AM

why do you need a cordless drill? a screwdriver will work fine

hell a dime or penny will work fine

5/13/2008 9:57:07 AM

Quote :

"also, is there anyway you could back in your spot and angle the car to where its hard to get the plate?"

sure...just back into a brick wall...

^time is of the essence.

[Edited on May 13, 2008 at 10:18 AM. Reason : .]

5/13/2008 10:18:25 AM

License plate frames are illegal in some states. FYI.

5/13/2008 10:23:16 AM

but this is katiencbabe we're talking about

5/13/2008 11:50:08 AM

I dont know about a license plate, but back in the day, i drove a chevy lumina that I bought from Dale Earnhardt Cheverolet in Conover. It had an Earnhardt Cheverolet metal emblem on the back of it, and people tried to steal that shit all the time. It was bent all to hell from where people tried to pry it off.

5/13/2008 12:23:18 PM

people stole my GTI emblem

5/13/2008 12:59:08 PM

^^^ Um. . .yeah, but does katiencbabe drive only in North Carolina? I doubt it.

5/14/2008 5:33:19 AM

pretty sure like 98 percent of the time shes driving its prolly in nc

5/14/2008 6:08:10 AM

^ Actually, it's 99.2%
I had a frame over it but only the top was secured (laziness) so it broke during the folding of my plate.

As long as I'm not overreacting, I'll reinforce it.

5/14/2008 8:17:34 AM

so hows alphie(sp?)

[Edited on May 14, 2008 at 8:41 AM. Reason : .]

5/14/2008 8:33:59 AM

Why don't these dumbass criminals just take their own license plates off right before they get to the gas station, or at least throw some duct tape over it? At least that way, they only are committing 1 crime instead of 2

[Edited on May 14, 2008 at 9:27 AM. Reason : .]

5/14/2008 9:27:05 AM

I had some asshole steal my license plate about 2 years ago, better than my car I guess. I definitely put 4 hex-head screws in it when I got my replacement.....they'd have to have to either show up with a hex bit or a nut driver to get that thing off, making it much easier to steal the plate off the car next to mine

5/14/2008 10:11:09 AM