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HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — The owner of a family-owned business registered his truck according to the law, only to learn that someone in violation of the law was in charge of the vehicle.
Just like that, Moore-Katz Florida Tree Service was left without access to critical parts of its business while it tried to figure out what happened.
Jennifer Moore found her first troubling clue when she tried to register online.
“I had the truck registered and the message was there were no vehicles with this tag,” Moore said. “I called and gave them the identification number and all the information and they said it wasn’t your car.”
she was shocked.
“I said, what?”
In an attempt to resolve the issue, the Moores were forced to take their trucks off the road and shut down their business.
They discovered that the title was transferred using forged signatures on documents to obtain duplicate ownership of the truck.
When asked if the forgery resembled his signature, Matthew Moore replied, “No.” “Not in the slightest. I’m really surprised someone could get away with that.”
A New Port Richey Police incident report on an ongoing fraud investigation reveals a loophole that allowed someone to steal the title.
“This document and transaction does not require any kind of license or notarization,” a DMV official told police.
According to the incident report, there are two suspects in the case. Neither has been charged at this time.
Once they gain control of the title, the thief may be able to take out a loan on the vehicle. They can also steal your truck by using a fraudulent title that makes it seem like they own the truck.
“It could already be sold out of state before we know it,” Jennifer Moore said. “And that will be long gone.”
Pasco County Tax Commissioner Mike Fasano said DMV employees are trained on what to look for to prevent fraud.
“But this still happens frequently in tax collector’s offices across the state,” Fasano said. “This is something the public needs to be aware of.”
“[The DMV clerks] “It’s probably more prevalent because of the loophole in the DMV system where it doesn’t require notarization,” Jennifer Moore said.
“I can’t believe this happened,” her husband added. “If you’re doing something like this, you need a photo ID and there’s no doubt that the person signing the document is who they say they are.”
His wife said lawmakers need to make changes.
“We need to change the laws and regulations governing the DMV to prevent something like this from happening to anyone and to ensure that everyone is protected in the future,” she said. .
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