Scarborough man’s warning after licence plates are stolen right off his car

Dave Pilar has been parking his vehicle at a lot in front of his Scarborough residence for years. But in his sixth year of owning an SUV, he experienced a theft unrecognizable to the eye right away.

“They took my licence plate, all the way with the screws,” Pilar tells OMNI News Filipino.

“I thought only cars are being stolen now. But even a small thing, a licence plate … that’s ridiculous.”

Pilar just got off from work on April 6, only to return to a missing plate at the back of his car. He initially thought it was a prank by friends until he checked the front of his vehicle.

“The front one is gone as well. So that’s when I panic, I’m like, woah, woah, woah this is not a simple thing.”

Fortunately, he had a dashcam which he viewed immediately. That’s when the recorded video shows two men circling his car, before taking off with his licence plate.

Security camera footage also shows the suspects driving out of the lot using Pilar’s stolen licence plate. He took the footage to the police station and reported the incident.

According to CAA Insurance, dashcam footage can help avoid risks associated with stolen plates.

“We don’t hear about this as much as other challenges, but certainly it’s something where personal information, your licence plate is tied to your vehicle and you want to make sure that that’s resolved,” Elliott Silverstein, Director of Government Relations at CAA Insurance, tells OMNI News.

“Even if one of your plates is missing, you want to report that because it may not be the situation where it’s fallen off but actually, someone taking it for themselves for whatever purpose.”

Toronto Police confirmed an investigation is ongoing, but did not provide information on whether the incident is related to other crimes or events.

While Pilar waits for answers, he has obtained new licence plates.

“I feel bad, man. Never heard of it before, actually.”

He now parks his vehicle inside their garage and even purchased anti-theft screws for his licence plates.

“If this kind of small thing happens to me, it could happen to anybody.”

Silverstein advises vehicle owners to contact ServiceOntario right away if their license plates suddenly go missing.

“Get new plates issued, advise the other ones were stolen. Talk to the insurance company as well and make sure they have information for your latest licence plate information,” he said. “As well get in touch with 407 if you have a transponder and make sure that it’s tied to the appropriate licence plate so you’re not on the hook for any charges that may have happened.”