Iowa DOT adopts SICPA temporary tag system to curb fraud

Iowa’s Department of Transportation has launched a statewide temporary-tag system with SICPA to make vehicle tags harder to counterfeit and easier for police to verify. The move targets fake and expired tags that can help drivers dodge cameras, fees and enforcement while raising safety risks for officers and the public.

Why it matters: - Iowa’s new temporary-tag system is designed to reduce counterfeit and expired tags that can help drivers evade enforcement, fees and insurance rules. - The change aims to make roadside verification faster for officers and harder for bad actors to exploit. - The system also addresses a public-safety problem tied to fraudulent tags in violent incidents involving law enforcement.

What happened: - SICPA launched a statewide system for issuing secure, verifiable temporary vehicle tags in partnership with the Iowa Department of Transportation on Jan. 1. - The paper-based temporary tags previously issued by Iowa car dealers were easy to counterfeit. - Many of the old tags were laser-printed or hand-written. - SICPA maintains the database of dealer distribution for the Iowa DOT.

The details: - Each temporary tag is linked to the specific dealer issuing the tag, not to the car’s driver. - The dealer-linked design is intended to prevent disreputable actors from making or selling tags. - The tags use SICPA’s proprietary multi-faceted optical technology for instant visual authentication. - Officers can use the visual features to quickly identify fake tags. - The tag includes a proprietary feature that invalidates expired tags when exposed to sunlight over time. - The expired-tag feature is meant to make old tags clearly identifiable and prevent reuse. - Fraudulent and expired temporary tags are used across the country to evade speed cameras, insurance requirements, fees and police detection. - In Grand Prairie, Texas, a police officer was killed while trying to stop a vehicle with a fraudulent temporary tag. - The suspect fled after being spotted, and the pursuit ended in a fatal crash. - In New Orleans, a police officer was killed in a shooting involving a getaway vehicle with a fraudulent temporary tag. - Similar incidents have happened throughout the U.S. - SICPA was established in 1927 and is a Swiss private technology company. - SICPA says it supports governance and long-term prosperity for nations and protects the majority of the world’s banknotes. - SICPA operates across five continents and works in digital identity and integrity, revenue mobilisation, natural resources, health and brand protection. - SICPA’s website is More information.

Between the lines: - The move shifts temporary-tag security from a paper workflow to a dealer-linked system with built-in authentication. - The sunlight-based expiration feature suggests Iowa wants a tag that becomes visibly unusable over time, not just one that can be checked in a database. - The safety pitch is as important as the anti-fraud pitch, because the release ties fake tags to real-world risks for officers and the public.

What's next: - Iowa dealers and law enforcement are expected to use the new system statewide as temporary-tag issuance moves under the SICPA framework. - The system’s effectiveness will depend on how consistently dealers use it and how quickly officers adopt the visual-authentication process. - Iowa DOT and SICPA may use the rollout as a model for reducing temporary-tag fraud elsewhere.