Nassau County police have joined New York's multiagency task force to combat the issue of "ghost vehicles" that use fraudulent license plates. These vehicles evade toll enforcement, significantly impacting revenues by around $50 million annually for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). While Nassau joins the fight, Suffolk County's participation is uncertain. The task force has conducted over 70 operations since its formation, leading to 900 arrests and thousands of summonses issued. Toll evasion continues to grow, posing a threat to the integrity of the toll system, especially with recent congestion pricing initiatives.
Police have said scammers use a range of methods to hide their license plates, from scratching paint off them to high-tech gadgets that make them disappear from view.
Despite past crackdown efforts, the MTA averaged about 400,000 missed toll transactions a month through April last year - about 8% higher than the same period in 2023.
Collection
[
|
...
]