Stupid Question - Why do user "blank" out their number plates?

[z80]

I blank out my plates cause the internet is full of weird forum folk who want to be your friend.

Lots of weird introverted types who spend way too much time in cyberland.

And when you push them away they stalk you.

[Bobman]

Hide plates online but not on the street? not at car parks?

Wouldn't all the above reasons also stand true for someone seeing your plates on the road?

Lol, paranoia plays a role in hiding plates online.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by Auslandau

Paranoid to the max ...... is that you behind the tree out front???

Are you nuts?... All Trees have hidden cameras in them. I've heard that some even have stealth sparrows that write number plates down.

(Unless you live in Collingwood, then they use Magpies)

[galaxy xr8]

Originally Posted by Auslandau

...... GOOGLE Ford Landau and out of the first 10 pics ... 4 are of my car and 1 video, the first one being mine ..... all I didn't take. There is even a pic of me in there.

Is that you picking your breakfast out of the shaker ? .

[BA Baracus]

I thought it was to prevent your photo/s being used to create a fake for sale advert of the car on other websites by scammers. With the plate shown they have non-suspicious photos, have the location (state) of the car (and possibly the city/area if you have that info in profile) for the advert. They know the plates should check out fine if "buyer" does a revs check or whatever and they know the car is somewhat desirable or else you wouldn't be showing it off.

True that you may park on the street or whatever anyway day to day and anyone can take a photo, but you don't park outside an internet cafe in Nigeria so it would greatly reduce the odds.

[FGII-XR6]

Originally Posted by swanny

It's just paranoia... if you know a registration number, you can't just google it up to see where it lives. It's like knowing what colour the car is.

Despite what some movies depict, you can't type a rego number onto Google, and get the address, credit card history, and grocery list of the owner.

Modern cars have inbuilt theft deterrents, so you can't just hotwire them to steal them.

I've got the plates of my Sierra in photos (25DJS)... can someone tell me where I am?

you can't google number plates but you can track them with contacts. I could find you from your number plat but it would cost me . information is a comodity and is available for a price

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by au3xr6

you can't google number plates but you can track them with contacts. I could find you from your number plat but it would cost me . information is a comodity and is available for a price

In NSW anyone can go to the RTA and for a fee get the address of any numberplate as au3xr6 says.

However, not only do the RTA want your name and address they also write the owner of the plates in question and notify them that there has been an enquiry on their number plates, who was enquiring and when.

[b2tf]

One of my old utes is on google street parked under a tree. It no longer looks like it does in the photo and it is also no longer mine so I dont have an issue with it.

[Whoosha]

Originally Posted by Auslandau

LXC 696 and I am on face book ...... go for it! My information should take approx 27 secs to find along with my full name, email address and business for anyone who would want it .... phone number should take another minute or so along with where I live and same goes for many others on here. If the mob are after you it wont take long


Paranoid to the max ...... is that you behind the tree out front???

You better belive it ... I have you and your coup listed and your car will be on a truck and gone by Friday night this week and thats a given

Vin numbers work better at Vic roads webb site for free you can then find out the rego from there and titles, after that you have to pay for the contact details

[burnz]

it doesent matter, user names are more than enough to trace identity.

[Bearman]

It's a personal choice. I always blank out number plates of photos I post up as a courtesy to the owners. Some couldn't give a twopenny stuff if their plates are showing but some are a bit funny about it. reasons vary.

Personally, it makes no difference to me. Lots of pics get taken at car shows etc and are in circulation.

[StrokedXT]

A poor guy on a jeep forum was dobbed in thanks to his plate on an Internet forum, a week before he was moving interstate he had the rego boys rock up and put his car off the road.

The resulting costs to get the vehicle back to standard so he could drive it pretty much sent him broke and destroyed his family.

To many do gooders will sob you in, in this instance the do gooder proudly boasted he had saved this other guys families life by stopping them traveling in an unroadworthy vehicle.

[Windsor220]

I would of thought it was mainly for cops and hoon law stuff. If you have just a standard car it wouldnt really matter. I think I have covered them in the past just to stop another bit of my info getting on the net.

[DBourne]

Originally Posted by Bobman

Hide plates online but not on the street? not at car parks?

Wouldn't all the above reasons also stand true for someone seeing your plates on the road?

Lol, paranoia plays a role in hiding plates online.

Exactly. You can't say its so people don't dob you in, anyone can see your plate as your out and about and dob you in.

Agree with what was said earlier how it is strange that people pay lots of cash to get a personalised plate then hide it because they like to wear tinfoil hats.

[Revolver]

Originally Posted by SgtBourne

Exactly. You can't say its so people don't dob you in, anyone can see your plate as your out and about and dob you in.

Agree with what was said earlier how it is strange that people pay lots of cash to get a personalised plate then hide it because they like to wear tinfoil hats.

Get it right. Armadillo helmet.

[stang65]

Originally Posted by StrokedXT

A poor guy on a jeep forum was dobbed in thanks to his plate on an Internet forum, a week before he was moving interstate he had the rego boys rock up and put his car off the road.

The resulting costs to get the vehicle back to standard so he could drive it pretty much sent him broke and destroyed his family.

To many do gooders will sob you in, in this instance the do gooder proudly boasted he had saved this other guys families life by stopping them traveling in an unroadworthy vehicle.

Good on him he may have even saved someone elses life if you can`t keep your car in roadworthy condition, it shouldn`t be on the road.

[TheInterceptor]

Originally Posted by stang65

Good on him he may have even saved someone elses life if you can`t keep your car in roadworthy condition, it shouldn`t be on the road.

A crap wiper blade or a blown tail light bulb is considered unroadworthy..

[sudszy]

Originally Posted by TheInterceptor

A crap wiper blade or a blown tail light bulb is considered unroadworthy..

I doubt whether those 2 items would have sent him broke...

[Franco Cozzo]

I'd be pretty easy to identify in my car if you really wanted, who else has a Focus with Hella Rallye 4000 driving lights on it? LOL.

[DJM83]

Because i choose too, do i need a reason?

[84xespac]

Originally Posted by Blue Beast II

Get it right. Armadillo helmet.

OI!!! Whats wrong with wearing an Armadilo helmet?

[WMD351]

Because paranoid people are following me.

[gtxb67]

i am obviously paranoid. i know if someone wants to get my details they can - that does not mean i will make it easy for them though

and as for blanking them out on forums or using novelty plates at shows - that is so easy to understand, it is a ridiculous question. if someone is going to steal cars, then a car show or internet forum is a smorgasbord. you just log on or go to a particular show and they are all just lined up for you to take photos and do the dirty work later on


yeah i am paranoid - i never used to open our blinds in the house, because with verticle drapes anyone could look in and see what they could steal. once again, i know if they want it, they will take it, but i will not make it easy for them

[Captain Stubing]

Originally Posted by 5.0

North Brisbane?

Originally Posted by au3xr6

you can't google number plates but you can track them with contacts. I could find you from your number plat but it would cost me . information is a comodity and is available for a price

I can get this info at work, but I know if I abuse that right, my job could be at risk. There are audit trails there to show who has looked at what, and if something happens the person who accessed the information will have to explain why they looked up this particular info.

[Yaw]

I do it for privacy reasons, The very same reasons I have a paper shredder any mail or documents that have any kind of identity on them to get shredded before I throw them out.
Rego Searches are far too easy to do. (I must do 10 a day to identify Third Partys in an accident...Work in recoveries for an insurer)
So with a rego and some other details available on the forum idenity theft is a very real problem. I have enough of my own bills, I do not need my name on any bills that are not mine.

A few people have said that the rego number is public when you drive around...this is true, however it cannot be coupled to my info here on AFF or any other forum/website I may belong to.

[gtxb67]

Originally Posted by Yaw

A few people have said that the rego number is public when you drive around...this is true, however it cannot be coupled to my info here on AFF or any other forum/website I may belong to.

true, plus if a potential thief sees your car out and about and want it, they will just follow you home anyway - no rego needed to find your address

[xisled]

I used to work for an insurance company in claims. I could do a rego search to find peoples details. If the rego was listed on our internal system then, I could get what ever details that were listed on the system, and no one would be able to tell it was me. The company did upgrade the systems so a trail could lead to you, but it also linked a whole heap of other insurance company's system's together. So most people do it for privacy I think. It is easy to do a rego search, you jsut need to know a person.

[FgNewbie]

How many service departments query staff who look up regos?

Google Earth is my enemy. It shows ______ which can't otherwise be seen from the street.

[onfire]

Take for example, the numerous " spotted " threads. They show how easy to track a person. I've seen example where people have posted up, the exact time and location other members have been in places, and I'm not talking about a once off location for a shoot or cruise. It's not only a privacy issue, but it's a security issue as people's homes and work and social lives are being being advertised by other members.

They warn people about " checking in " on social media as a means to deter theft, this isn't any different.

[brad`]

i dont understand this... privacy? there is no such things, if things are keeped private how come some f-wit from india trying to sell me a home load knows all my info including my name, girlfriends name, phone number, adress.. etc etc,

end of the day its why u got insurance, they steal it, racv, aami etc etc replace it, no point in worrying if someone seen ur plates or something pluse... 99% of the time ppl black out there number plates but not he rego sticker on the fron winodw that says threre rego? lol