PHOTOSGUY - LICENSE

When posting photos of cars/trucks, why do some people block/erase the license plate number?

Privacy concerns...

(Which IMO makes no sense since everyone else sees it all day long)

I've only had one guy ask to not show the plate & one guy refuse to have his car shot. In some parts of the country, some people have said that they do have a theft problem.

It would only really make sense for a really high-profile show car, which shouldn't have plates anyway.

Theoretically, a person could pay to look up the car's address or information from the plate number and target it for theft. Realistically, that's pretty stupid... "Gone in 60 Seconds" kind of thing. Doesn't happen in reality, so it doesn't matter.

Paul J McCain wrote in post #7210120
It would only really make sense for a really high-profile show car, which shouldn't have plates anyway.

Theoretically, a person could pay to look up the car's address or information from the plate number and target it for theft. Realistically, that's pretty stupid... "Gone in 60 Seconds" kind of thing. Doesn't happen in reality, so it doesn't matter.

You obviously never lived in Detroit...

We had three cars stolen right out of our driveway in about six months before my parents finally said F-this and bailed for Tucson, AZ back in 1985. Unfortunately, we only had a one-car garage then.

Yes, yes it does happen.

I find more humor in the people who block out their contact information when they postnbusiness cards on the net.

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #7210652
You obviously never lived in Detroit...

We had three cars stolen right out of our driveway in about six months before my parents finally said F-this and bailed for Tucson, AZ back in 1985. Unfortunately, we only had a one-car garage then.

Yes, yes it does happen.

Dude. I didn't mean car theft. Of course that happens

I meant car theft as a direct result of visible license plates online.

Paul J McCain wrote in post #7210120
Theoretically, a person could pay to look up the car's address or information from the plate number and target it for theft. Realistically, that's pretty stupid... "Gone in 60 Seconds" kind of thing. Doesn't happen in reality, so it doesn't matter.

Actually that is the most common form of vehicle theft aside from profiling the car before jacking it. Many people, myself included always request that their license plates be blurred or removed from the picture for safety reasons.

My first GTI I owned got posted from a few events and meetings, about a week after Waterfest people were reporting seeing a black Jetta outside their houses. I came out one night and saw the same black Jetta parked at the end of our street, got my camera out and shot the license plate, recorded the time. Two nights later they broke in, stole my iPod player and some CD's but the dogs woke me up and I came out and they panicked. My second GTI wasn't so lucky and got lifted out of the public train parking lot while I was working downtown.

Out of courtesy when I shoot friends or strangers cars I apply three levels of blur on the license plate. Never do the swirl crap, you can actually reverse process that and if it's a high enough profile car then thieves will do anything. Of course if it's an obviously identifiable car that you could pick out anywhere then there's not much you can do aside from sit on your front porch armed to the teeth with land mines strategically placed around your driveway

There's also the other side.

If someone wants to use a car as a getaway car for use in a crime, then it wouldn't take a huge amount of effort to find someone with the same colour & model of car and "steal" their license plate details. So if they're driving around and the cops run a check on the license plate, it'll come up clean.

You might also get a knock on the door from the cops asking where the bank's money is..

Good idea!

Bad idea leaving it in the car after you saw them! Did you have a "D'oh!" moment?

Even where I live, an affluent county with easy access to the e-way, I see in the paper every week where people leave expensive stuff in their unlocked cars overnight & it's stolen. I'd guess that 95% of the garages here have openers installed & they can't be bothered to garage their car over night.

Ain't technology wonderful? Thing is, there are so many meets here that it's easy for anyone to stroll around & shop for what they want to steal.

PhotosGuy wrote in post #7219729
Even where I live, an affluent county with easy access to the e-way, I see in the paper every week where people leave expensive stuff in their unlocked cars overnight & it's stolen. I'd guess that 95% of the garages here have openers installed & they can't be bothered to garage their car over night. Ain't technology wonderful? Thing is, there are so many meets here that it's easy for anyone to stroll around & shop for what they want to steal.

Many of the houses here in the UK that have garages never store their cars in the garage. The garage is usually used as storage space for all manner of man-clutter. Tools, lawnmowers, garden sets, and stuff like that.

Cars are predominantly left outside.

^^ that's why it's called a 'Garage Sale'
hehe....

PhotosGuy wrote in post #7219729
Good idea! Bad idea leaving it in the car after you saw them! Did you have a "D'oh!" moment?

Even where I live, an affluent county with easy access to the e-way, I see in the paper every week where people leave expensive stuff in their unlocked cars overnight & it's stolen. I'd guess that 95% of the garages here have openers installed & they can't be bothered to garage their car over night. Ain't technology wonderful? Thing is, there are so many meets here that it's easy for anyone to stroll around & shop for what they want to steal.

A bit of a d'oh moment, I'd gotten in at 4am from working overtime at the studio and parked the car in the driveway, set the alarm and had to be up in 2 hours anyways. I usually leave the iPod in the arm-rest but I forgot to unplug the white cable leading to the dash so it was obvious. The d'oh moment was when I realized they had broken into my neighbours car, busted open his tool box in the back seat and used a screwdriver to force open my doorlock and enter the vehicle.

You're definitely right that anyone can stroll around and shop for what they want, nowadays if a thief wants the car they're going to do anything to get it. I had a kill switch, key encoding, audible alarm, knock sensor, tilt sensor and immobiliser on my last GTI thinking I was safe. F***ers lifted it out with a flatbed.

PhotosGuy wrote in post #7219729
I'd guess that 95% of the garages here have openers installed & they can't be bothered to garage their car over night.

You're supposed to park cars in garages? Unfortunately, my garage is just a place to store crap.

Pete wrote in post #7212567
You might also get a knock on the door from the cops asking where the bank's money is..

Or Ex girlfriends!!

5 years ago a friend ended his relationship with his GF and a year later bought a new car and was living with his new girlfriend. Turned out the ex had gotten the a copy of a email of him bragging about his car and woman.

She ended up calling a friend who worked at the MTO got the address the car was registered to and went and rented the exact same car and color... Went stole his plates. Ended up driving around town like a mad man Had her boyfriend driving wearing a hooded sweater and they would pull into gas stations ( 3 ) and fill up and then run not paying the tab and of course the police having the make and license of the car. And then to top it all off back the car up through the glass doors of a local walmart and took off.

Fortunetly the complaints went in faster than expected and the police showed up to my friends place to find his car in the drive way with no marks on it and no plates.

She later said she was going to put the plates back and use a hammer to damage his car..

She was caught when her boyfriend returned the car to the rental company with the cars plates on it but his plates in the back seat!.. lol