Two Kentucky Notaries Arrested for Attempting to Sell Fake Temporary Tags on Facebook Marketplace
Authorities arrested two notaries in Louisville and charged them with trying to sell dozens of fake Kentucky temporary tags on Facebook Marketplace. The Bancroft Police Department reported that it has investigated nearly 200 cases involving these fake temporary tags, often found during traffic stops.
According to police, the fake temporary tags are very hard to distinguish from the real ones. Police Chief David Mudd told WHAS News that if a police officer is “10 feet or so” behind a vehicle, they are not “easily discernible.”
Police used an informant to allegedly catch the suspects in the act
The Bancroft Police Department, assisted by the Lyndon Police Department, conducted an undercover sting to arrest the two notaries. Court documents revealed that one of the suspects posted on a Facebook Marketplace group that she had temporary tags for sale, along with a photo showing a stack of them.
Police had an informant offer to purchase two fake temporary tags and have the suspect notarize a Kentucky vehicle license. The suspect allegedly told the informant she could get him as many fake tags as he needed.
After the two notaries arrived to deliver the fake tags, according to WDRB News, they sold the informant 10 fraudulent Kentucky temporary tags and notarized a Kentucky title. At the time of their arrest, police found 61 more fake temporary tags. Many looked like those shown in the Facebook Marketplace photo.
One of the suspects allegedly told police “that the tags were just trash that were given to him, and this was the first time they had sold any of them.”
Criminals often use fake temporary tags to commit other crimes
“There are people that are acquiring these tags to mask their identities to go out and commit crimes,” said Chief Mudd. “We’ve had armed robberies committed with cars with temp tags on them, murder.”
He added that in many cases, car dealers put the fake tags on salvaged cars that can’t legally be on the road.
Jefferson County Clerk David Yates said “vehicle titles, insurance documents, notes for work, notes for court that you were in the hospital or something, so that’s why you missed court” were all for sale on the Facebook Marketplace account. Yates added that “temporary tags are never issued by individuals or notaries.”
Drivers using fake temporary tags are often uninsured, police said. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said they also use them to evade taxes and skip vehicle inspections.
Police arrested the two suspects and charged them with 71 counts of possession of fraudulent temporary tags. They also charged one of them with official misconduct and perjury for allegedly lying after being Mirandaized.
“Don’t buy tags online. Don’t buy them from people or friends. Get them from the dealership or get them from the county clerk’s office, but don’t get them online from random people on the internet,” Chief Mudd said.
Officials suggest caution when purchasing anything car-related on Facebook Marketplace
In January, police arrested a Kansas City man who allegedly sold vehicles on Facebook Marketplace and then stole them back. Also in January, a Pennsylvania man allegedly illegally sold vehicles on behalf of a dealership and to local residents through a Facebook Marketplace scam.
Jackson County, Missouri, Prosecutor Melesa Johnson said about making online transactions, “My message is to be careful. I’m not telling you do not engage in the practice. You just need to be smart. You need to be careful, and you need to be diligent.”
