Paper Tag Nation

KXAS-TV NBC Dallas/Ft. Worth & Scott Friedman

This eye-opening series of reports exposed how security gaps at the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles allowed criminals to obtain car dealer licenses and then sell hundreds of thousands of fraudulent temporary license plates, some of which were used on cars involved in other serious crimes.

The NBC 5 Investigates team relentlessly pursued the story for more than 12 months, filing more than 40 reports, digging deep to reveal the far-reaching impact of fraudulent Texas paper tags and the threat they pose to the public and police. The team used the DMV’s own records to show how licensed “dealers,” in some cases with no storefront, were issuing massive numbers of temporary plates which police said were then sold on the black market. The reporting revealed how fraudulent tags are sometimes placed on vehicles used in violent crimes and cross-border smuggling to conceal the vehicles’ true ownership from law enforcement authorities.

The reporting helped spark changes, including a change in DMV leadership, a new background check system for Texas auto dealers, the suspension of dozens of dealer licenses, and ongoing legislative hearings to address the widespread fraud.y.

CREDITS

Senior Investigative Reporter: Scott Friedman

Vice President of News: John Stone

Senior Investigative Producer: Eva Parks

Photojournalist/Editor: Jose Sanchez