LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — In recent months, officers from the Manheim Township Police Department have seen an increase in the number of vehicles found to be displaying altered or counterfeit PA state inspection and emissions stickers.
To the untrained consumer eye, these counterfeit stickers appear authentic and even have realistic security features. However, to law enforcement and certified inspection mechanics, they are easily identifiable as counterfeit.
Oftentimes these fake stickers are discovered when an unsuspecting person purchases a vehicle from a private party. The vehicle displays what appears to be a valid sticker and the seller purports the vehicle as having passed a recent inspection. It is later determined that the stickers are fraudulent and the vehicle is mechanically unsound and unsafe, leaving recent car buyers vulnerable and at risk of unsuspecting mechanical failure.
The Manheim Township Police Department highly recommends to any person seeking to purchase a vehicle from a private party, to have the vehicle checked by a certified PA inspection mechanic in order to verify the validity of inspection and emission stickers being displayed on the vehicle, and the mechanical soundness of the vehicle.
Source: Manheim Township Police Department
