El Paso County Tax assessor-Collector Victor Flores says the temporary cardboard tags issued by licensed dealers to customers who buy new or used cars can easily be counterfeited.

News of the problem was just released to the media after ten Monday morning. According to a press release from Flores' office, the biggest concern is that once the cardboard tags are placed on the vehicle, there is no way for law enforcement agencies to trace the vehicle. This would make it very easy for a terrorist to hide their identity and drive on our public highways.

"Aside from security concerns, owners who have counterfeit tags on their vehicles often do not have insurance, " said Flores, "which costs consumers higher premiums and loss of millions of dollars in lost registration fees to the state and the county."

The problem now has the attention of the Texas State Legislature, which has ordered the Texas Department of transportation to conduct a study. An electronic tag system could be one solution, but until then state officials are working on a control number system to make tracking easier.

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