Counterfeit paper tags remain a pervasive problem in Southern Nevada, DMV officials said.

Buyers are able to easily search and purchase the temporary tags on sites such as Instagram, Facebook Marketplace, Reddit, OfferUp, and Craigslist for as little as $35.

“We try to track down the sellers when we can, but they're generally out of our jurisdiction, which is the Nevada state borders,” said JD Decker, chief of the Nevada DMV’s Compliance Enforcement Division (CED). One seller was tracked to the Bahamas, he said.

But for the buyers, Decker said the penalties can be stiff, with fines for fictitious government documents up to $1,000.

He said some of the people buying these fake tags could be trying to skirt Nevada’s high registration fees. And four out of ten people the CED ticketed claimed they didn’t know the tags weren’t legitimate.

“In spite of the fact that they live in Nevada, the car is in Nevada, they have no connection to this out-of-state place that they got this temp tag from,” said Decker. “But for some reason, they claimed to not have known it was illegal.”

Nevada temporary tags are much more difficult to counterfeit and escape notice in Southern Nevada since local law enforcement know what they look like. Decker said only two people have been arrested for false Nevada paper tags. But with so many visitors and out-of-state people moving in, Decker said most agencies don’t readily know other state’s temporary plates offhand.

The CED is able to investigate, arrest, and charge those breaking the law when it comes to DMV purview, with issues such as false identity, stolen vehicles, title forgery, and fake paper tags.

“It's overwhelming. I have 29 sworn officers and we do yeoman's work, there's no doubt about it, for the volume of fraud that's out there,” Decker said. “But the fake temp tag problems, we rely on the help of agencies that have thousands of officers–Metro and Highway Patrol.”

But Decker acknowledged those agencies have plenty of other concerns and aren’t actively looking to spot fake tags on the roads.

The issue is more than just breaking the law, Decker said it’s a big public safety concern too. Oftentimes, those using the fake tags are knowingly doing it because their vehicle is modified or salvaged and illegal to operate on Nevada’s roads.

“Those vehicles aren't allowed on the road in Nevada for a reason,” Decker said. “They're generally unsafe, they haven't been inspected, they don't meet emission standards, often aren't insured. So they present a liability not only to the owner or the driver, but also the Nevada public driving around them.”