First thieves targeted catalytic converters, but now it seems they’re after license plates too. In fact, it’s gotten to the point where police in Richmond, Virginia are urging people to buy specialty bolts to curb crime.

Speaking to NBC12 in Virginia, Third Precinct Commander Faith Flippo recommended buying bolts that require an Allen key, rather than a simple screwdriver, to unscrew.

“With the use of specialty sets of bolts, it makes it much harder for thieves to simply use a standard tool to quickly remove the plates. This can help drive down other crimes,” said Flippo. “Stolen license plates are a crime which inconveniences the public – but also criminals often use the plates on unregistered or stolen cars to enable the commission of other illegal acts.”

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As Flippo said, stolen plates are more than just inconvenient for the owner. Per a WTSB Tampa Bay report from 2018, thieves tend to steal license plates from cars similar to the model they want to drive.

“That way when law enforcement is out and we randomly run tags and we see that tag matches to the types of car that it’s attached to then it doesn’t draw suspicion,” said Larry McKinnon of the Hillsborough Country Sheriff’s Office. “The only way we can check on that is to physically pull it over and check the [vehicle identification] number from what we see on the computer to what is actually on the car.”

Worse still, the stolen plates can be replaced with other ones on your car to prevent you from noticing (and reporting) that your plates were stolen. Victims could be driving around with a set of tags associated with a crime or a stolen vehicle, which could lead them to be pulled over.

Along with using specialty bolts, the police recommend not using a plate frame, which makes it easier to pry a license plate off without damaging it. They also recommend removing your old registration stickers before putting a new one on. By sticking the new one straight onto the plate, it makes it harder for the sticker to come off in one piece, preventing thieves from using it.