Some Big Apple motorists were recently spotted with license plates subtly obscured using ultra low-tech methods — which could potentially be used to evade New York’s wildly unpopular congestion toll that just went into effect.
The Post spotted a variety of these sneaky, DIY tactics in action — often deployed on newer or high-end vehicles — reminiscent of the ongoing “ghost plates” problem which costs the city hundreds of millions each year.
While it’s not known whether the observed trickery is a direct result of the new $9 toll being imposed when entering Midtown Manhattan, many of the altered plates were sighted near the perimeters of the congestion zone on Sunday, when the fee went into effect.
The most basic method involved covering up or modifying a single digit on a license plate.
This was often done by scratching out a letter or number, like a car seen with an L painted over in white in an apparent attempt to blend it in with the background color of the current New York plates.