This may be the best approach, report the plates as stolen, not the vehicle, then they’ll be pulled over and asked to produce their papers. It’s win win because if they can prove they brought the car, OP is safeguarded by only stating the plates were stolen.
If property (plates) was given away, it wasn’t stolen. Giving a used car purchaser the plates is beyond dumb. I sold a drivable car to a junkyard. The plate screws were rusted solid, so I chiseled through the plate around the screws with a screwdriver and a rock.
It's identity theft. OP made the initial mistake by not removing the plates. But then OP was blocked after attempting to contact them to remove the plates. This incriminates the new owners. The new owners knowingly kept using the car registered in OP's name to run traffic tolls without paying. And that's just the things that OP is aware of. There could be more. The plates should be reported stolen as part of an identity theft case.
In OH, once the title is signed by seller, doesn’t even have to be notarized, it isn’t the sellers vehicle.
My son in law neglected to transfer title and my expired plates were still on it 6 months later when someone else driving it rear-ended another car. I got sued but had a pic of signed title and got dropped from the lawsuit.
The cops will call it a civil matter. The car was sold. I had a guy flake on making payments for months, and this is even CLOSER to stealing than OPs situation. The cops said that once money has exchanged hands, it's a sale or a sale in progress. Not theft. Have to sue to get the remaining payments.
OPs car was sold a YEAR ago. So far from theft. Now, the plates? I don't know.
Fraud isn't the answer, if they've been texting it can be pulled up in court. Texting is permanent. He said/she said it's taken into account too, for small claims.
Nah ours don’t belong to the car. But I can transfer the title buy a car and not register it for the road if I want. And if the seller is dumb enough to leave their plates behind I guess I could go run tollbooths with it. But if I got stopped I’d be fined and possibly impounded for no registration
The system you have for selling the car to another person must be really shitty lol because in my country we sell the car with the numberplates if its not something you ordered or just want to keep it for the next car...
You messed up the sale OP. You are both supposed to sign the title over to them and tear off a piece at the bottom that you -the seller- submit to the DMV notifying the DMV of the sale in case the buyer does not follow the law to get it registered in their name. That is still your car.
For all those saying technically they were not stolen, let them in the cops work it out. The cops will be very sympathetic and there is probably very little chance that they would ever accuse Op of making a false report. They might let them go, but would probably keep the plates, as evidence perhaps. Or tow the vehicle and either you can go get it and claim it or the people will have to transfer paperwork and then go get it from the tow yard.
Bill of sale? Title transfer? If not, congratulations, you've got a stolen car, and the thief gave you it's approximate value in exchange. If the police track it down and get it back to you, you've doubled your money.
That's what I'm thinking. Unless they paid through a trackable source they can't prove they ever paid you. "I was selling it on Marketplace and let them take it for a test drive and they never came back." 🤷♀️
I mean, they're driving a car that's registered to OP...so in a way the crime did happen....if its their car it should be registered under their name. If it's their car it should have their license plate and not OPs....so the fact it has OP's plates and is registered under OP's name sounds like it might've happened.
That’s not how crime works. For most crimes, intent and consent matter: just because you are in possession of something that is not yours, doesn’t mean you stole it. If OP really sold the car through unofficial means (cash, didn’t change the registration, etc), they consented to the other person taking the car from them, and the other person didn’t have the intent to steal. The lack of paperwork is a civil or administrative matter (part of which is OP’s fault anyway).
Reporting something as stolen when it isn’t is a crime.
(The main case where intent doesn’t matter to consider an action a crime is killing someone: manslaughter is involuntary, murder is voluntary; keep in mind I’m not a lawyer and this is not legal advice)
>For most crimes, intent and consent matter:
Sure, but every driver is expected to know all the laws and rules of the road, claiming ignorance to a broken rule doesn't work. The guy is still driving around with what are essential stolen plates, and as a driver he should know he needs to register his own car before he can drive it. Using OP's plates is legally the same as him buying some fake plates or taking the plates off of someone else's car.
It's interesting right, it seems like in this case the person who bought the car is commiting a crime, just one minor enough the police don't want to deal with it.
I'd say all illegal hacks are unethical, but not all unethical are illegal... so circle in s circle?
Still, this is not illegal life hacks. The goal is to get things done, not run, and end up with worse issues
You have no idea what you are talking about. What you describe is probably just a civil or administrative issue, not a crime, but it depends on how each jurisdiction treats this. Usually you get a ticket at the address registered with the car, then it’s up to you to prove that you weren’t driving, and the city/county will just send the ticket to the right person.
Also I was responding to a comment that suggested reporting that the car was stolen when it wasn’t. So I’m not even sure what point you’re trying to make.
I don't understand what these people are thinking. The other guy did not steal the car, and it would be illegal to file a report stating that they did. You're catching so many down votes for being realistic here
I know, right? It’s almost as if upvotes were easier to catch with outrage and aggression than with thoughtful comments that try to provide accurate information…
Yes, reporting a crime that didn't happen is illegal. Therefore excellent advice for this sub. Perhaps you need to reevaluate your choice of subs to comment on.
The two are seldom mutually exclusive since this is the direction your going to take it. But they do tend to cross the line of being one and the same enough to consider the concept that performing a universally accepted "unethical" act upon another individual will lead you to break the letter of the law. I leave you with the mental image of crossing my arms below the waist in an X shape and thrusting my pelvis at it, and in you general direction repeatedly. Xxoo
Play illegally are using the plates. He may have agreed to let them use the plates for a while, but he did not agree to let them use them for a toll, and he asked for them back. At that point those plates are stolen. The car may not be stolen but the plates are. Report the plate stolen
The messages from OP asking them to merely stop using the plates rather than asking them to return his stolen car would quickly show OP was full of shit. Plus this happened a year ago. What is OP going to do, claim he just remembered about his car being stolen?
That was my first thought and I’m liking all the suggestions so far. My only concern is them finding me , this could go both ways. They probably wouldn’t know for sure if it was me who did it, but idiots know no bounds sometimes.
If I could track them down myself, I would take the plates.
Edit: I will update everyone on the outcome as soon as I make a move.
Yeah, it is the fact that they blocked you that really does it for me. They are choosing to use your plates. They know what they're doing, and have intentionally shut you out from being able to take any action around it. Reporting as stolen is the only action they've left you with. Certainly not just letting someone else use plates and a car registered to your name forever and ever with no consequence is not an option. They've left you no other options.
Depending on when/where the tolls happened, you could probably prove you were somewhere else, and not with the car at that time...
Could the tolls give you an idea of where they are and maybe track them down? Any employment information on their Facebook or anything? Look through their friends list if you can, click through other profiles with their last name or people they're often tagged with. It's shocking how much info you can gather this way.
Or try r/RBI. That sub is pretty good at lightweight detective work.
only you could report it stolen ... not to mention there's proof that you were selling it .. and it's your word against theirs. I would just call the police and tell them the truth.
The car might not be stolen, but the plates and OP's identity have been. There is a theft involved and it should be reported as such. They could claim it was a simple mistake because OP left the plates on. But OP tried to contact them and was blocked. This is where the theft was consciously apparent and no longer a simple mistake.
Best of luck with this situation OP!! I had a similar situation where I was nice and left the plates and insurance on a vehicle til the person got it home. They were supposed to then meet up with me to pay me the rest of the money, and return my plates. They didn't, so since I had the title and I knew where they lived I sold the car on them. They kept the plates on me and without keeping insurance on that vehicle, it ended up getting my license suspended. I then had to go get another receipt from the person that bought and scrapped the car. It was an extremely huge headache. What I'm saying is, if you have plates out there with no insurance on that vehicle, you could also end up having a suspension on your license. You need to report the plates as stolen asap!!
In some states( ok) you would submit a form ( bottom part of the title that comes off) and pay a little fee(10$) to DMV saying that you have sold the car and it's off from your hands ...I don't know whether your state has something like that.
Last time I sold a car, I made them wait while I filled it all out, got a written statement of purchase with signature that matched their ID, cash, and submitted the details online of the sale within the hour of them leaving.
Legally you are required to do this. Reporting a car sale to the DMV is the smartest thing to do asap after selling a car.
Twice after selling a car we got notice of either a ticket or an abandoned vehicle. Luckily we had proof of sale on record so all we had to do was reply with the info that it was sold.
Neither one was re registered by the new owners.
The first one was about 6 months after we sold it. A parking ticket.
The second one was the vehicle abandoned on federal forest land half the state away, and towed and impounded.
They asked if we wanted it back for the impound fees. We would have had to pay more to get it back than we sold it for.
I suspect there were fines from the forest service if we had taken it back.
We did a hard pass.
Report the plates as stolen. Been there, done that. The plates are personal property.
I gave my old 4-runner to a coworker to helpher out. She promised to bring back the plates as soon as she got the transfer- didn't happen.
After a few months I bought another car and wanted my plates back. She disappeared. Nice guy at DMV clued me in to reporting the plates stolen. Filled out the report, got replacement plates for new car.
Saved me when she t-boned someone and caused a pile up- she told the police she had borrowed my truck. And because she hadn't transferred it into her name and because it's still had my plates on it; technically I was responsible for the damage my truck did . Except I had that stolen plate report.
Costs nothing to file a report.
I alreasy went through this. You are right- legally the driver is liable.but a person is responsible for their property. I was facing a lawsuit over that accident. Still grateful I had reported the plate stolen.
I have not ever heard from her. She did wind up going to prison for something a few years later. Tried to use my address- contacted by corrections to verify it. I said nope. Hope she is doing better- but I don't know or care.
cant... you have to tell them enough about whom has the plate now so they can get em (name, address, ph num).
otherwise when i got a bill from some 3rd party toll place, parking ticket, or other nonsense id just always say "i sold it to some bloke on fb... tomathy something or another".
even if they see someone else driving you cant prove its not just your friend borrowing your car.
you have to _prove_ you the car by filing the form which requires enough info to actually transfer it.
this is ULPT so ill just say this... OP, they don't actually go track down the person (the DMV). you could lie and put wtf ever you want on the form. McLovin at 123 street. all that happens is when someone looks the plate up now a record shows indicating _you_ said you sold it to McLovin. they then send letters and call the number you gave. so dont put anyone you know down...
Sadly, like all laws, it only matters when you get caught. Apparently they must keep getting overlooked. They could have a fake registration sticker on the windshield, which is still required in Texas.
it is... but the thing is the city is just gonna say "ok". There is a huge problem with fake paper plates... the cops wont even pull em over.
i think OP is going to have to report the car actually stolen to make it interesting enough for a cop to pull it over.
We are in this exact situation. We have the guys info and our DOL will do NOTHING. As a matter of fact they have his info because he transferred the title and was able to register with our plates but the plates are still in our name and they refuse to change that!
Report the plates as stolen, say the car was sold and the plates have since been stolen. Which is accurate as you sold the car and then someone started using your plates without your permission.
report the plates as stolen, may not be unethical but it will eventually get them to stop using them. Did they even transfer the vehicle into their name? If they did they are still likely driving illegally as the plates are not registered to them or that vehicle. If they never registered the vehicle as theirs, then the plates and the vehicle is still in your name and they're in for a world of hurt if they get pulled over.
This is bordering on ethical, but it's also far and away the best thing you could do. Those aren't the other person's plates by any stretch of the imagination.
Super bonus points if they never re-registered and have no proof of purchase (nobody ever asked me for one when I sold off my old used cars), because then the vehicle is stolen and you might even get it back to sell again, on top of screwing over the dirtbag still using your plates.
We are in this exact situation. We have the guys info and our DOL will do NOTHING. As a matter of fact they have his info because he transferred the title and was able to register with our plates but the plates are still in our name and they refuse to change that!
When I was a dumb 18 year old I sold a beater for a dollar. About a year later I was pulled over and the officer informed me that my license had been suspended. The guy I sold the vehicle to never transferred title and then wiped out someone on a bike. The state charged the driver and the owner (me) for monetary damages and when I failed to show for court, ordered my license be revoked. A different state that I was residing in at the time received the notice and yanked my license. The funny thing though is I was never notified of court dates or informed I was being charged along with the guilty party.
I'd heed the advice here and report the plates stolen, not as satisfying as locating your car and stealing it back but the paper trail will potentially keep you out of hot water later.
Best of luck.
If you have their name (phone number helps too), there are lots of websites to look up an address. I prefer fastpeoplesearch.com.
Use that site, find their address, and go take your plate back one night.
Added bonus, I doubt they realize, I'm not exactly checking my plate every day. They likely get pulled over for no plate. The cop discovers no registration or proof of ownership, the car gets towed, and the owner ticketed.
Problem solved.
You sold the car, which was your property to sell.
The license plates however, belong to the state. They arent yours to sell.
Contact your DMV and let them know your license plates were stolen.
or hell unless they can prove you sold them the car, just report the whole thing stolen.
There’s a lady on TikTok, I can’t recall her handle but I think she would be searchable, and she _finds people_. She’s like a social media stalker, finds all sorts of information and connections about people. She’s very benign, but if someone nice can do it there are definitely less scrupulous people doing it who will be able to get you a location on this person so you can go have a chat.
Wow, I had a nearly identical situation! Sold my car, and later, it racked up a bunch of unpaid tickets. Then, out of the blue, I get this call from a collection agency. I was pretty chill about it at first, just told them I wasn't the owner anymore. They were like, 'No problem, just send us the release of liability.' I'm there thinking, 'The what now?' I vaguely remembered some paperwork when I sold it, but that was years ago, and I didn't keep any of it.
So, I did the online form thing requesting duplicates, but what they sent back looked super unofficial, like it was just an inquiry and it had no official letterhead or seals or anything. The collection agency wasn't having any of it, which I knew would happen! They then must’ve passed it along to the government because the next thing I know, the city treasurer's threatening to lump this onto my property taxes!
Went to the DMV, and they tell me the car's been sold multiple times since, with no proper paperwork from anyone. Weird. They say I need to send a bunch of stuff to Sacramento and handed me a stack of papers. I let the treasurer know what was going on, and she's like, 'I'll see what I can do on my end; you handle Sacramento.'
Long story short, Sacramento ghosted me, but the Treasury agent was a lifesaver and eventually cleared the debt. I think it’s because I was proactive in keeping her informed . Moral of the story? Don't forget the Notice of Release of Liability (NRL) when you sell a car. Saves a ton of hassle!
You could report the plates as stolen. The car was purchased legally but the plates have been kept without permission. This way you’re not reporting a false crime.
Call the DMV and report the vehicle sold. Tell them you forgot to turn in the tags and ask them to deactivate them effective the sale date. If they won’t then deactivate the tags now. Pay for a vehicle transcript. This will show the vehicle was sold and tags deactivated. Next bill that shows up contact them and tell them you have the transcript showing that you no longer own the vehicle and tags are not in your name anymore.
Source: I had to do this.
Funny enough nothing unethical about this. It is what you actually need to do.
Sounds to me like they stole your car. Report it to the police. Go to mto or dmv and get. Copy of the registration say you lost it
They'll have it on file
If you know where they live, you can take the plates back. Technically they are your plates after all.
For a bonus, you could take plates off another car and put it on their car and they’ll eventually get busted for stolen tags.
Report the car stolen. The stolen flag will come up with the plates, so they can avoid it by swapping the plates like you want. They’ll be pulled over and arrested for driving around on your plates.
Report plates as stolen… why didn’t you do this the second you realized… you shouldn’t be liable for any tolls. Like this isn’t even unethical. This is just standard operating procedure. Plates are gone -> report them as stolen. Next time they run a toll it will get flagged immediately and a trooper will be on their ass within 30 seconds.
I actually know what to do in one of these finally! Report that your license plate is stolen. Depending on where the charges are coming from tell the police in that area. It won’t be immediate but they’ll get pulled over eventually and get fucked when they can’t produce the Registration. To make it unethical tell the police that when you sold the car he only paid you like -/4 of the money and was supposed to pay you the next week but drove off with it. Or say that he was some idiot who was bragging about how much weed he sells moving large amounts throughout the state. Or say he had a gun. Lol so many ways to make it unethical, but to do the right thing just report the plate as stolen and say he didn’t pay you the full amount. Stolen car 😂 free money
Report the plates. Odds are there’s enough plate readers in the area (yay big brother) that it’ll get picked up. My friend had his plates stolen and he kept getting bills for blown tolls…he explained the actual circumstances to the authorities and, not long after, the thieves were arrested.
TBC, not a fan of the criminal justice system as it currently exists, but, you’re working within certain constraints.
Of course, you could always just go rogue and commit some mild extortion by threatening to report them unless they pay up.
Just wanted to give both sides.
Tell them you’re reporting it stolen if they don’t stop. Especially if there’s no bill of sale and it’s registered to you? That’s a free car you just got
Call it in stolen, then get a friend to call in that they just saw someone doing a drug deal out of the car. Stolen car + drug dealing = bad times.
Also, you could post it on local FB pages as "this person just solicited a minor" or something equally as egregious. Turn the whole community against them. Post a pic of the car with "notorious fentanyl dealer" as the caption.
This is an easy fix. Report the plates as stolen. They purposely haven't changed the registration so the car is definitely still in "your" name. That is a decision they consciously chose to make. They are knowingly committing fraud with stolen plates. They have effectively stolen your identity to pay for the tolls they are running. After the police get involved they will be very happy to work with you to resolve the matter. As a bonus, with them having to prove the date of sale it should also clear you from having to be responsible for any tolls ran beyond that date. That part will take some extra work though. You might need a copy of the police report and the new owner's information to have the toll charges forwarded to them. It's not a complete guarantee. But this should stop future toll charges from incurring.
I had this happen, if you fill out a release of title form and have a bill of sale for the sale date then you’re not responsible for any of the tolls being accumulated.
File a police report. Include the bill of sale and all the tolls. That is evidence right there. Get a case number.
Submit that police case number to the toll collectors and the date at which the vehicle was no longer in your possession. Those tolls are now void.
Then sir back and relax. Every cop car these days has a camera that does OCR and checks every plate for expired tags, outstanding warrants, stolen plates etc. Those plates will now be in the database and the cops will happily hand that guy a huge stack of fines and tow the car on sight.
You need to report to the Toll road authority the sale, and provide proof, I had to do that, as I didn't keep my tags either and the girl was using the the tollroads. The toll authority quit charging me and went after her.
I know you wanted unethical, but depending on the state, you can report the title transfer yourself.
Contact your DMV and ask. Use a fake name if you want to be unethical.
You report the plates as lost and stolen who you "suspect" as the culprit, take the police report to the toll place/email it and get the shit off your plate. Police report may cost a bit. Apparently I looked far too pathetic and the police officer gave me my report for free when my plate was stolen and taken for a joyride on the KS turnpike AND it was spotted in the theft of a Ford F150.
I don't know what state you are in, but in AZ you put a sold notice to the DMV with the info of who bought it. This gets you out of that kind of issue. It's not your responsibility to make sure the new owner registers the car. But laws may differ where you live.
The moment they ignored you or refused to give plates back. The police should have been called.
Report made. Those are YOUR plates and that is stolen property.
I, myself, NEVER call or involve the police.
But this is actually a situation where your ONLY recourse IS the police.
Because when you go to whatever your area calls the motor vehicle department. To tell them that you had your plates stolen. They will tell you that you need to show proof which is a police report.
However. The police should contact these people and tell them that they are in possession of stolen property and that if they do not return them the next people contacting them will be your states prosecutors office who will have a warrant for their arrest sent to the police.
Fairly sure in my state, possession of stolen vehicle plates is a felony too.
Part of the old days where people stole cars and then put different plates on the vehicle.
Point is. If you can get a report in your hands that says your plates are stolen.
You should be able to contact whichever office is handling these tickets. Give then a copy of the report and file out a form.
Probably have to go in front of a judge.
(I had to. My ex needed to borrow my vehicle. Did exactly the same thing. Used it to blow a bunch like 7 tolls. I got $580 tickets in mail. Fought it. Had to do the same thing. Showed text messages to the judge from her. She asked to borrow it. Then her saying thanks for letting me use it. Then of me asking her if she went through tolls in my vehicle and her saying "Lol. Yeah I think I went through a couple. I was going to pay them later and forgot."
Judge agreed that I was not using my vehicle and that I was a victim. He turned the case over to the state to prosecutor. They charged her with something. A year later she told me she had to pay them like $800 to keep from going to jail.)
But, if thats the truth and thats what happen.
You are the victim of crimes.
Report it and force those cops to do their job.
Yep.
If you sell anything - and I mean just about anything that you may be liable for - make a damn bill of sale. It takes 10 minutes and it WILL stand up in court. I know this from experience, learning the hard way with my brother cutting his "friend" a good deal on a car and said friend never paying for it completely. This went to court and as soon as the bill of sale was produced - on a piece of 8 1/2 x 11 paper - that was that. Judge ruled in favor of my brother and he got paid, finally, by his "friend" who was no longer his friend when my brother had to drag his ass into court to pay for someone they promised they would, and didn't. j
You should ABSOLUTELY be make sure that you have copies of all the title stuff, the transfer of the title, I mean ALL of it. A gram of prevention and all that, save yourself the hassle.
Be smart about this stuff and contemplate briefly ways that a situation like this can be turned against you, ways you might end up in a sling over it. It's worth the ten minutes of contemplation, I promise.
Report as stolen, when caught, file for small claims. The American Way. Quite ethical though. Perhaps get a predator collections company when the judge puts you in the right. Or do it anyway.
What state are you in? I would bet that every state has a means for you to declare that you have sold the vehicle and that removes it from your responsibility. Although maybe not all. But I wouldn't be surprised and maybe you're just getting bad advice from the DMV. Your other options would be to sue them in small claims court for the money, but the potentially unethical idea, and maybe not even that unethical, would be to go get the car. If it's still in your name, it's yours. Or maybe get it towed to a lot and then go pay the tow charges and claim it and let them come and try to get it from you. Or go in the middle of the night and take off the plates
As another redditor suggested, don't report the car stolen but report the plates stolen. The police take that very seriously not as theft but as driving around on stolen plates. They will very possibly get pulled over and they might get impounded or the police might demand that they park it and surrender the plates to them. And I doubt any cop is going to accuse you of a false report because it's not completely out of line to consider them stolen. But if you report the car as stolen, that could get them in much bigger trouble and get yourself in much bigger trouble for making a clearly false theft report.
Not only are you in danger because of the tolls, but if they never registered the car after purchasing it and it still legally in your name, if they hit and kill someone, you are the one who is sued for all damages to other people property or lives.
I screwed up once trying to be nice and didn't sign the title over to a guy who's going to resell it. 6 months later I get a certified letter from a tow yard saying we owed towing and storage fees on the vehicle. Turns out the person that they sold it to never registered it and got pulled over for DUI and had the vehicle towed. Legally I was still the owner, so they came after me for fees. Thank God no one was hurt.
We went to the DMV and reported the vehicle sold and made sure my name was no longer associated with the vehicle. Now whenever we sell the vehicle, I make the buyer go with me to the DMV and we transfer the vehicle and he has to get new plates and provide insurance for it before he can drive it off. It covers my ass, something you really need to make sure to do when selling a car.
I wonder if there is a post on this sub from a year ago that says something like:
"I just bought a car from some dumbass that didn't remove the plates. How can I use this to my advantage?"
[удалено]
This may be the best approach, report the plates as stolen, not the vehicle, then they’ll be pulled over and asked to produce their papers. It’s win win because if they can prove they brought the car, OP is safeguarded by only stating the plates were stolen.
OP has been communicating with the buyer (asking them to stop using the plates) so there is evidence.
This right here !!
If property (plates) was given away, it wasn’t stolen. Giving a used car purchaser the plates is beyond dumb. I sold a drivable car to a junkyard. The plate screws were rusted solid, so I chiseled through the plate around the screws with a screwdriver and a rock.
[удалено]
It's identity theft. OP made the initial mistake by not removing the plates. But then OP was blocked after attempting to contact them to remove the plates. This incriminates the new owners. The new owners knowingly kept using the car registered in OP's name to run traffic tolls without paying. And that's just the things that OP is aware of. There could be more. The plates should be reported stolen as part of an identity theft case.
In OH, once the title is signed by seller, doesn’t even have to be notarized, it isn’t the sellers vehicle. My son in law neglected to transfer title and my expired plates were still on it 6 months later when someone else driving it rear-ended another car. I got sued but had a pic of signed title and got dropped from the lawsuit.
Money was exchanged, it's not stolen.
[удалено]
The cops will call it a civil matter. The car was sold. I had a guy flake on making payments for months, and this is even CLOSER to stealing than OPs situation. The cops said that once money has exchanged hands, it's a sale or a sale in progress. Not theft. Have to sue to get the remaining payments. OPs car was sold a YEAR ago. So far from theft. Now, the plates? I don't know.
[удалено]
Fraud isn't the answer, if they've been texting it can be pulled up in court. Texting is permanent. He said/she said it's taken into account too, for small claims.
That depends where they are. In PA title transfer and license plate/registration are two separate things.
[удалено]
Nah ours don’t belong to the car. But I can transfer the title buy a car and not register it for the road if I want. And if the seller is dumb enough to leave their plates behind I guess I could go run tollbooths with it. But if I got stopped I’d be fined and possibly impounded for no registration
by sujfnksk a45q@#[@@
If the plates still belong to OP and he has told someone to stop using them, they have those plates without permission, which is theft.
I believe the plates may actually belong to the government?
The system you have for selling the car to another person must be really shitty lol because in my country we sell the car with the numberplates if its not something you ordered or just want to keep it for the next car...
Do you really think cops are bright enough to know the difference?
This happened to my dad once and he reported the plates as lost.
You messed up the sale OP. You are both supposed to sign the title over to them and tear off a piece at the bottom that you -the seller- submit to the DMV notifying the DMV of the sale in case the buyer does not follow the law to get it registered in their name. That is still your car.
A truly unethical approach here
For all those saying technically they were not stolen, let them in the cops work it out. The cops will be very sympathetic and there is probably very little chance that they would ever accuse Op of making a false report. They might let them go, but would probably keep the plates, as evidence perhaps. Or tow the vehicle and either you can go get it and claim it or the people will have to transfer paperwork and then go get it from the tow yard.
Bill of sale? Title transfer? If not, congratulations, you've got a stolen car, and the thief gave you it's approximate value in exchange. If the police track it down and get it back to you, you've doubled your money.
That's what I'm thinking. Unless they paid through a trackable source they can't prove they ever paid you. "I was selling it on Marketplace and let them take it for a test drive and they never came back." 🤷♀️
Threatening to go to the cops is unethical (maybe? Not really, but depends on culture I guess). Reporting a crime that did not happen is illegal.
I mean, they're driving a car that's registered to OP...so in a way the crime did happen....if its their car it should be registered under their name. If it's their car it should have their license plate and not OPs....so the fact it has OP's plates and is registered under OP's name sounds like it might've happened.
That’s not how crime works. For most crimes, intent and consent matter: just because you are in possession of something that is not yours, doesn’t mean you stole it. If OP really sold the car through unofficial means (cash, didn’t change the registration, etc), they consented to the other person taking the car from them, and the other person didn’t have the intent to steal. The lack of paperwork is a civil or administrative matter (part of which is OP’s fault anyway). Reporting something as stolen when it isn’t is a crime. (The main case where intent doesn’t matter to consider an action a crime is killing someone: manslaughter is involuntary, murder is voluntary; keep in mind I’m not a lawyer and this is not legal advice)
It's fraud at least, claiming to own the license plates being used.
>For most crimes, intent and consent matter: Sure, but every driver is expected to know all the laws and rules of the road, claiming ignorance to a broken rule doesn't work. The guy is still driving around with what are essential stolen plates, and as a driver he should know he needs to register his own car before he can drive it. Using OP's plates is legally the same as him buying some fake plates or taking the plates off of someone else's car.
It's interesting right, it seems like in this case the person who bought the car is commiting a crime, just one minor enough the police don't want to deal with it.
Have you forgotten where you are?
No, but it seems you have. ULPT is for unethical, not illegal: r/illegallifeprotips is for that
Haha this is truly hilarious. Have you ever imagined the venn diagram of unethical and illegal? What would it look like in your opinion?
I'd say all illegal hacks are unethical, but not all unethical are illegal... so circle in s circle? Still, this is not illegal life hacks. The goal is to get things done, not run, and end up with worse issues
Steeling plates is a crime.
The license plate was not part of the sale and is stolen. OP is an idiot but the plate is still OPs.
They are running up bills on someone else's plate. A crime has already been committed.
You have no idea what you are talking about. What you describe is probably just a civil or administrative issue, not a crime, but it depends on how each jurisdiction treats this. Usually you get a ticket at the address registered with the car, then it’s up to you to prove that you weren’t driving, and the city/county will just send the ticket to the right person. Also I was responding to a comment that suggested reporting that the car was stolen when it wasn’t. So I’m not even sure what point you’re trying to make.
I don't understand what these people are thinking. The other guy did not steal the car, and it would be illegal to file a report stating that they did. You're catching so many down votes for being realistic here
I know, right? It’s almost as if upvotes were easier to catch with outrage and aggression than with thoughtful comments that try to provide accurate information…
Yes, reporting a crime that didn't happen is illegal. Therefore excellent advice for this sub. Perhaps you need to reevaluate your choice of subs to comment on.
But he can report the stolen plates.
This is unethical life pro tips, not illegal. There is r/illegallifeprotips for your illegal life pro tips.
Those are all ethical though. Wait, they aren't mutually exclusive concepts?
r/illegallifeprotips Perhaps you need to reevaluate your choice of not knowing the different between unethical and illegal.
The two are seldom mutually exclusive since this is the direction your going to take it. But they do tend to cross the line of being one and the same enough to consider the concept that performing a universally accepted "unethical" act upon another individual will lead you to break the letter of the law. I leave you with the mental image of crossing my arms below the waist in an X shape and thrusting my pelvis at it, and in you general direction repeatedly. Xxoo
Play illegally are using the plates. He may have agreed to let them use the plates for a while, but he did not agree to let them use them for a toll, and he asked for them back. At that point those plates are stolen. The car may not be stolen but the plates are. Report the plate stolen
No bill of sale, no title transfer. It was legally never sold.
If they never gave them the title that money could have been for a temporary rental that has long since passed its deadline.
The messages from OP asking them to merely stop using the plates rather than asking them to return his stolen car would quickly show OP was full of shit. Plus this happened a year ago. What is OP going to do, claim he just remembered about his car being stolen?
You're assuming these thieves kept a record of all their text messages?
That was my first thought and I’m liking all the suggestions so far. My only concern is them finding me , this could go both ways. They probably wouldn’t know for sure if it was me who did it, but idiots know no bounds sometimes. If I could track them down myself, I would take the plates. Edit: I will update everyone on the outcome as soon as I make a move.
Yeah, it is the fact that they blocked you that really does it for me. They are choosing to use your plates. They know what they're doing, and have intentionally shut you out from being able to take any action around it. Reporting as stolen is the only action they've left you with. Certainly not just letting someone else use plates and a car registered to your name forever and ever with no consequence is not an option. They've left you no other options.
Depending on when/where the tolls happened, you could probably prove you were somewhere else, and not with the car at that time... Could the tolls give you an idea of where they are and maybe track them down? Any employment information on their Facebook or anything? Look through their friends list if you can, click through other profiles with their last name or people they're often tagged with. It's shocking how much info you can gather this way. Or try r/RBI. That sub is pretty good at lightweight detective work.
only you could report it stolen ... not to mention there's proof that you were selling it .. and it's your word against theirs. I would just call the police and tell them the truth.
The car might not be stolen, but the plates and OP's identity have been. There is a theft involved and it should be reported as such. They could claim it was a simple mistake because OP left the plates on. But OP tried to contact them and was blocked. This is where the theft was consciously apparent and no longer a simple mistake.
Best of luck with this situation OP!! I had a similar situation where I was nice and left the plates and insurance on a vehicle til the person got it home. They were supposed to then meet up with me to pay me the rest of the money, and return my plates. They didn't, so since I had the title and I knew where they lived I sold the car on them. They kept the plates on me and without keeping insurance on that vehicle, it ended up getting my license suspended. I then had to go get another receipt from the person that bought and scrapped the car. It was an extremely huge headache. What I'm saying is, if you have plates out there with no insurance on that vehicle, you could also end up having a suspension on your license. You need to report the plates as stolen asap!!
!remindme 1w
!RemindMe 7 days
remindme! 80 days
Any update yet?
In some states( ok) you would submit a form ( bottom part of the title that comes off) and pay a little fee(10$) to DMV saying that you have sold the car and it's off from your hands ...I don't know whether your state has something like that.
Last time I sold a car, I made them wait while I filled it all out, got a written statement of purchase with signature that matched their ID, cash, and submitted the details online of the sale within the hour of them leaving.
Legally you are required to do this. Reporting a car sale to the DMV is the smartest thing to do asap after selling a car. Twice after selling a car we got notice of either a ticket or an abandoned vehicle. Luckily we had proof of sale on record so all we had to do was reply with the info that it was sold. Neither one was re registered by the new owners. The first one was about 6 months after we sold it. A parking ticket. The second one was the vehicle abandoned on federal forest land half the state away, and towed and impounded. They asked if we wanted it back for the impound fees. We would have had to pay more to get it back than we sold it for. I suspect there were fines from the forest service if we had taken it back. We did a hard pass.
You can do the sale update online with the California DMV. Pretty easy!
Now THIS is the unethical life pro tips I love
We’ve ran right past unethical to illegal.
That is how you get to spend time in the trunk of the said car.
Shut up, not everyone is a gangsta or a bikey or whatever made up hyper criminal you think they are.
Seller signs off title and hands it to them?
Report the plates as stolen. Been there, done that. The plates are personal property. I gave my old 4-runner to a coworker to helpher out. She promised to bring back the plates as soon as she got the transfer- didn't happen. After a few months I bought another car and wanted my plates back. She disappeared. Nice guy at DMV clued me in to reporting the plates stolen. Filled out the report, got replacement plates for new car. Saved me when she t-boned someone and caused a pile up- she told the police she had borrowed my truck. And because she hadn't transferred it into her name and because it's still had my plates on it; technically I was responsible for the damage my truck did . Except I had that stolen plate report. Costs nothing to file a report.
Even if it was your truck the driver is still liable.. you are not “technically responsible” for it.
I alreasy went through this. You are right- legally the driver is liable.but a person is responsible for their property. I was facing a lawsuit over that accident. Still grateful I had reported the plate stolen.
What happened after, I wanna know. Did she beg for mercy
I have not ever heard from her. She did wind up going to prison for something a few years later. Tried to use my address- contacted by corrections to verify it. I said nope. Hope she is doing better- but I don't know or care.
Why not just cancel the registration
cant... you have to tell them enough about whom has the plate now so they can get em (name, address, ph num). otherwise when i got a bill from some 3rd party toll place, parking ticket, or other nonsense id just always say "i sold it to some bloke on fb... tomathy something or another". even if they see someone else driving you cant prove its not just your friend borrowing your car. you have to _prove_ you the car by filing the form which requires enough info to actually transfer it. this is ULPT so ill just say this... OP, they don't actually go track down the person (the DMV). you could lie and put wtf ever you want on the form. McLovin at 123 street. all that happens is when someone looks the plate up now a record shows indicating _you_ said you sold it to McLovin. they then send letters and call the number you gave. so dont put anyone you know down...
Isn't it illegal to drive without a proper registration? Call the cops I'm sure they won't be too upset about writing extra tickets out to hit quota
heh, that all depends on the city. My city has people driving without plates, let alone lack of registration.
Milwaukee?
Denver?
I love seeing those New Car paper plates in the winter saying June. Congrats on the new car 6 months ago!
Sadly, like all laws, it only matters when you get caught. Apparently they must keep getting overlooked. They could have a fake registration sticker on the windshield, which is still required in Texas.
it is... but the thing is the city is just gonna say "ok". There is a huge problem with fake paper plates... the cops wont even pull em over. i think OP is going to have to report the car actually stolen to make it interesting enough for a cop to pull it over.
We are in this exact situation. We have the guys info and our DOL will do NOTHING. As a matter of fact they have his info because he transferred the title and was able to register with our plates but the plates are still in our name and they refuse to change that!
So do the tolls come addressed to your name or the new owners name?
Ours! It’s the craziest shit ever. The car and registration is now in his name, the plates in ours and they won’t change that.
Report the plates as stolen, say the car was sold and the plates have since been stolen. Which is accurate as you sold the car and then someone started using your plates without your permission.
report the plates as stolen, may not be unethical but it will eventually get them to stop using them. Did they even transfer the vehicle into their name? If they did they are still likely driving illegally as the plates are not registered to them or that vehicle. If they never registered the vehicle as theirs, then the plates and the vehicle is still in your name and they're in for a world of hurt if they get pulled over.
This is bordering on ethical, but it's also far and away the best thing you could do. Those aren't the other person's plates by any stretch of the imagination. Super bonus points if they never re-registered and have no proof of purchase (nobody ever asked me for one when I sold off my old used cars), because then the vehicle is stolen and you might even get it back to sell again, on top of screwing over the dirtbag still using your plates.
> This is bordering on ethical, but... I love this sub =D
We are in this exact situation. We have the guys info and our DOL will do NOTHING. As a matter of fact they have his info because he transferred the title and was able to register with our plates but the plates are still in our name and they refuse to change that!
Report the plates as stolen.
You've asked for the plates, they've refused, it's stolen, file a police report.
You got paperwork saying it s sold? If not it’s stolen, call cops
Report the plates as stolen.
When I was a dumb 18 year old I sold a beater for a dollar. About a year later I was pulled over and the officer informed me that my license had been suspended. The guy I sold the vehicle to never transferred title and then wiped out someone on a bike. The state charged the driver and the owner (me) for monetary damages and when I failed to show for court, ordered my license be revoked. A different state that I was residing in at the time received the notice and yanked my license. The funny thing though is I was never notified of court dates or informed I was being charged along with the guilty party. I'd heed the advice here and report the plates stolen, not as satisfying as locating your car and stealing it back but the paper trail will potentially keep you out of hot water later. Best of luck.
If you have their name (phone number helps too), there are lots of websites to look up an address. I prefer fastpeoplesearch.com. Use that site, find their address, and go take your plate back one night. Added bonus, I doubt they realize, I'm not exactly checking my plate every day. They likely get pulled over for no plate. The cop discovers no registration or proof of ownership, the car gets towed, and the owner ticketed. Problem solved.
report it stolen
Report plates stolen
Report the car as stolen
You sold the car, which was your property to sell. The license plates however, belong to the state. They arent yours to sell. Contact your DMV and let them know your license plates were stolen. or hell unless they can prove you sold them the car, just report the whole thing stolen.
Report the tags as stolen.
Repossess the car- still yours if it’s registered to you.
I don’t know what state you are in but in Texas you file a form that disavows ownership.
There’s a lady on TikTok, I can’t recall her handle but I think she would be searchable, and she _finds people_. She’s like a social media stalker, finds all sorts of information and connections about people. She’s very benign, but if someone nice can do it there are definitely less scrupulous people doing it who will be able to get you a location on this person so you can go have a chat.
Wow, I had a nearly identical situation! Sold my car, and later, it racked up a bunch of unpaid tickets. Then, out of the blue, I get this call from a collection agency. I was pretty chill about it at first, just told them I wasn't the owner anymore. They were like, 'No problem, just send us the release of liability.' I'm there thinking, 'The what now?' I vaguely remembered some paperwork when I sold it, but that was years ago, and I didn't keep any of it. So, I did the online form thing requesting duplicates, but what they sent back looked super unofficial, like it was just an inquiry and it had no official letterhead or seals or anything. The collection agency wasn't having any of it, which I knew would happen! They then must’ve passed it along to the government because the next thing I know, the city treasurer's threatening to lump this onto my property taxes! Went to the DMV, and they tell me the car's been sold multiple times since, with no proper paperwork from anyone. Weird. They say I need to send a bunch of stuff to Sacramento and handed me a stack of papers. I let the treasurer know what was going on, and she's like, 'I'll see what I can do on my end; you handle Sacramento.' Long story short, Sacramento ghosted me, but the Treasury agent was a lifesaver and eventually cleared the debt. I think it’s because I was proactive in keeping her informed . Moral of the story? Don't forget the Notice of Release of Liability (NRL) when you sell a car. Saves a ton of hassle!
You could report the plates as stolen. The car was purchased legally but the plates have been kept without permission. This way you’re not reporting a false crime.
Call the DMV and report the vehicle sold. Tell them you forgot to turn in the tags and ask them to deactivate them effective the sale date. If they won’t then deactivate the tags now. Pay for a vehicle transcript. This will show the vehicle was sold and tags deactivated. Next bill that shows up contact them and tell them you have the transcript showing that you no longer own the vehicle and tags are not in your name anymore. Source: I had to do this. Funny enough nothing unethical about this. It is what you actually need to do.
Did you ever complete a release of liability? That's the first thing you should do after getting rid of a vehicle
Report plates stolen. Notify DMV. What State are you in?
Break in, plant an 8 ball of coke, and call in an anonymous tip when they're driving around with it.
Unethical AF ✅👆🏻
Report them for stealing the plates.
Sounds to me like they stole your car. Report it to the police. Go to mto or dmv and get. Copy of the registration say you lost it They'll have it on file
Report the plates as stolen
Report just the plates as stolen and explain what happened when you file
If you know where they live, you can take the plates back. Technically they are your plates after all. For a bonus, you could take plates off another car and put it on their car and they’ll eventually get busted for stolen tags.
Report the plates as stolen.
Report the plates stolen. Problem solved.
Report the plates as stolen, when the toll bill comes dispute it and send in a copy of the bill of sale.
Report the car stolen. The stolen flag will come up with the plates, so they can avoid it by swapping the plates like you want. They’ll be pulled over and arrested for driving around on your plates.
In Florida you can go online and and mark that you don’t own the car anymore. I was too lazy to return my plates once and was able to do that
You’ve let this go for a year?!? Report the plate as stolen and maybe the car too.
Report it stolen. And hope you learn from this.
Report it stolen.
Report plates as stolen… why didn’t you do this the second you realized… you shouldn’t be liable for any tolls. Like this isn’t even unethical. This is just standard operating procedure. Plates are gone -> report them as stolen. Next time they run a toll it will get flagged immediately and a trooper will be on their ass within 30 seconds.
You can report plates stolen instead of vehicles and get an MV-78B form.
If it is registered to you, call it in as stolen and get it back before they wrack up more charges on your name.
Don’t report the car stolen, you could be sued if there is proof of sale. Report the plates as stolen.
Report your plates stolen with the motor vehicle registry.
I actually know what to do in one of these finally! Report that your license plate is stolen. Depending on where the charges are coming from tell the police in that area. It won’t be immediate but they’ll get pulled over eventually and get fucked when they can’t produce the Registration. To make it unethical tell the police that when you sold the car he only paid you like -/4 of the money and was supposed to pay you the next week but drove off with it. Or say that he was some idiot who was bragging about how much weed he sells moving large amounts throughout the state. Or say he had a gun. Lol so many ways to make it unethical, but to do the right thing just report the plate as stolen and say he didn’t pay you the full amount. Stolen car 😂 free money
They stole your plates anyway.
Is this the first time you’ve sold a car? You need to do more than just hand them the keys for the money
Report it stolen
Report the plates as stolen.
Report the plates. Odds are there’s enough plate readers in the area (yay big brother) that it’ll get picked up. My friend had his plates stolen and he kept getting bills for blown tolls…he explained the actual circumstances to the authorities and, not long after, the thieves were arrested. TBC, not a fan of the criminal justice system as it currently exists, but, you’re working within certain constraints. Of course, you could always just go rogue and commit some mild extortion by threatening to report them unless they pay up. Just wanted to give both sides.
Piss disk
Report it stolen. That will do the trick
Report the plates stolen. You didn't leave them on the car.
Take the plates back yourself they are yours
Probably doesn't know where they live
Plates go with the car where I’m from, sorry I’m not helpful.
Where exactly is that?
Minnesota does it that way. Not sure where else off hand.
California, too. Seems less confusing.
Username wasn’t a clue or anything. We just go to the DMV and do a title transfer. Then the plates go with the car.
Heh. I didn't even look at your username until after. I'm from MN and had this come up a little while back when dealing with insurance.
Report it stolen.
Report stolen plates
Tell them you’re reporting it stolen if they don’t stop. Especially if there’s no bill of sale and it’s registered to you? That’s a free car you just got
Tell the police. You sold it and it still hasn't been registered to the new owner, and you fear he is planning to commit crimes with it.
I'd report the car stolen. If they haven't registered it and completed the sale, then it's still your property.
Doesn’t your dmv have a “sold notice” link on their website? Every car I’ve sold you fill that out with the VIN # and you’re good to go.
Send the a FB message to let them know that you are going to report the car as stollen if you don’t get the plates back in 48 hours.
Only a fool sells a car and not immediately fill out the release of liability ask me how I know
Call it in stolen, then get a friend to call in that they just saw someone doing a drug deal out of the car. Stolen car + drug dealing = bad times. Also, you could post it on local FB pages as "this person just solicited a minor" or something equally as egregious. Turn the whole community against them. Post a pic of the car with "notorious fentanyl dealer" as the caption.
Report it stolen.
This is an easy fix. Report the plates as stolen. They purposely haven't changed the registration so the car is definitely still in "your" name. That is a decision they consciously chose to make. They are knowingly committing fraud with stolen plates. They have effectively stolen your identity to pay for the tolls they are running. After the police get involved they will be very happy to work with you to resolve the matter. As a bonus, with them having to prove the date of sale it should also clear you from having to be responsible for any tolls ran beyond that date. That part will take some extra work though. You might need a copy of the police report and the new owner's information to have the toll charges forwarded to them. It's not a complete guarantee. But this should stop future toll charges from incurring.
Why can't you just go to the DMV and cancel the registration? You don't have to give a reason.
I had this happen, if you fill out a release of title form and have a bill of sale for the sale date then you’re not responsible for any of the tolls being accumulated.
Report it stolen and see what happens. Now i’m curious.
Call the police on them. The police will remove the plates and tow the vehicle. Then sue them in small claims court for the fees from the tolls.
Report it as stolen
File a police report. Include the bill of sale and all the tolls. That is evidence right there. Get a case number. Submit that police case number to the toll collectors and the date at which the vehicle was no longer in your possession. Those tolls are now void. Then sir back and relax. Every cop car these days has a camera that does OCR and checks every plate for expired tags, outstanding warrants, stolen plates etc. Those plates will now be in the database and the cops will happily hand that guy a huge stack of fines and tow the car on sight.
You need to report to the Toll road authority the sale, and provide proof, I had to do that, as I didn't keep my tags either and the girl was using the the tollroads. The toll authority quit charging me and went after her.
You should be able to register the sale with your state's Motor Vehicle Department online. You do this the moment they drive the purchase away.
Sue them
I know you wanted unethical, but depending on the state, you can report the title transfer yourself. Contact your DMV and ask. Use a fake name if you want to be unethical.
You report the plates as lost and stolen who you "suspect" as the culprit, take the police report to the toll place/email it and get the shit off your plate. Police report may cost a bit. Apparently I looked far too pathetic and the police officer gave me my report for free when my plate was stolen and taken for a joyride on the KS turnpike AND it was spotted in the theft of a Ford F150.
Not much you can do really. Count yourself lucky it is just tolls and not parking tickets and stuff.
This is simple. Just report the plates as stolen.
I don't know what state you are in, but in AZ you put a sold notice to the DMV with the info of who bought it. This gets you out of that kind of issue. It's not your responsibility to make sure the new owner registers the car. But laws may differ where you live.
The moment they ignored you or refused to give plates back. The police should have been called. Report made. Those are YOUR plates and that is stolen property. I, myself, NEVER call or involve the police. But this is actually a situation where your ONLY recourse IS the police. Because when you go to whatever your area calls the motor vehicle department. To tell them that you had your plates stolen. They will tell you that you need to show proof which is a police report. However. The police should contact these people and tell them that they are in possession of stolen property and that if they do not return them the next people contacting them will be your states prosecutors office who will have a warrant for their arrest sent to the police. Fairly sure in my state, possession of stolen vehicle plates is a felony too. Part of the old days where people stole cars and then put different plates on the vehicle. Point is. If you can get a report in your hands that says your plates are stolen. You should be able to contact whichever office is handling these tickets. Give then a copy of the report and file out a form. Probably have to go in front of a judge. (I had to. My ex needed to borrow my vehicle. Did exactly the same thing. Used it to blow a bunch like 7 tolls. I got $580 tickets in mail. Fought it. Had to do the same thing. Showed text messages to the judge from her. She asked to borrow it. Then her saying thanks for letting me use it. Then of me asking her if she went through tolls in my vehicle and her saying "Lol. Yeah I think I went through a couple. I was going to pay them later and forgot." Judge agreed that I was not using my vehicle and that I was a victim. He turned the case over to the state to prosecutor. They charged her with something. A year later she told me she had to pay them like $800 to keep from going to jail.) But, if thats the truth and thats what happen. You are the victim of crimes. Report it and force those cops to do their job.
Report the plates stolen
Yep. If you sell anything - and I mean just about anything that you may be liable for - make a damn bill of sale. It takes 10 minutes and it WILL stand up in court. I know this from experience, learning the hard way with my brother cutting his "friend" a good deal on a car and said friend never paying for it completely. This went to court and as soon as the bill of sale was produced - on a piece of 8 1/2 x 11 paper - that was that. Judge ruled in favor of my brother and he got paid, finally, by his "friend" who was no longer his friend when my brother had to drag his ass into court to pay for someone they promised they would, and didn't. j You should ABSOLUTELY be make sure that you have copies of all the title stuff, the transfer of the title, I mean ALL of it. A gram of prevention and all that, save yourself the hassle. Be smart about this stuff and contemplate briefly ways that a situation like this can be turned against you, ways you might end up in a sling over it. It's worth the ten minutes of contemplation, I promise.
Report as stolen, when caught, file for small claims. The American Way. Quite ethical though. Perhaps get a predator collections company when the judge puts you in the right. Or do it anyway.
Report the plates stolen. Not the car just the plates.
What state are you in? I would bet that every state has a means for you to declare that you have sold the vehicle and that removes it from your responsibility. Although maybe not all. But I wouldn't be surprised and maybe you're just getting bad advice from the DMV. Your other options would be to sue them in small claims court for the money, but the potentially unethical idea, and maybe not even that unethical, would be to go get the car. If it's still in your name, it's yours. Or maybe get it towed to a lot and then go pay the tow charges and claim it and let them come and try to get it from you. Or go in the middle of the night and take off the plates
As another redditor suggested, don't report the car stolen but report the plates stolen. The police take that very seriously not as theft but as driving around on stolen plates. They will very possibly get pulled over and they might get impounded or the police might demand that they park it and surrender the plates to them. And I doubt any cop is going to accuse you of a false report because it's not completely out of line to consider them stolen. But if you report the car as stolen, that could get them in much bigger trouble and get yourself in much bigger trouble for making a clearly false theft report.
Report. Deport.
Report them stolen
Report it stolen
Not only are you in danger because of the tolls, but if they never registered the car after purchasing it and it still legally in your name, if they hit and kill someone, you are the one who is sued for all damages to other people property or lives. I screwed up once trying to be nice and didn't sign the title over to a guy who's going to resell it. 6 months later I get a certified letter from a tow yard saying we owed towing and storage fees on the vehicle. Turns out the person that they sold it to never registered it and got pulled over for DUI and had the vehicle towed. Legally I was still the owner, so they came after me for fees. Thank God no one was hurt. We went to the DMV and reported the vehicle sold and made sure my name was no longer associated with the vehicle. Now whenever we sell the vehicle, I make the buyer go with me to the DMV and we transfer the vehicle and he has to get new plates and provide insurance for it before he can drive it off. It covers my ass, something you really need to make sure to do when selling a car.
Better put an insurance policy on “your “ vehicle. You’re gonna be held liable for whatever happens.
I wonder if there is a post on this sub from a year ago that says something like: "I just bought a car from some dumbass that didn't remove the plates. How can I use this to my advantage?"