22,000 fake decals imported from Israel are raising public safety concerns in Pennsylvania.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized 22,000 counterfeit Pennsylvania vehicle inspection stickers in Northeast Philadelphia on December 16th. The fake decals shipped from Israel were flagged after state officials confirmed they were not authentic. If the stickers had been legitimate, the materials would have been valued at $1.4 million.
The stickers arrived in two separate shipments: one containing 10,000 decals, which reached the area on November 26th, and another with 12,000, which arrived on December 9th. The CBP has not disclosed the identities of the sender or the intended recipient.
Pennsylvania law mandates that vehicles undergo annual safety inspections to ensure they meet both mechanical and emissions standards. Windshield stickers confirm that a vehicle passed the inspection. In Pennsylvania, possessing a forged sticker is a misdemeanor, punishable by fines up to $500 and possible jail time. In 2022, Pennsylvania State Police reported receiving 40 to 50 complaints annually about fraudulent inspection stickers.
Cleatus P. Hunt Jr., CBP’s area port director in Philadelphia, emphasized the public safety threat posed by fake inspection stickers: “Unscrupulous actors peddling fraudulent vehicle inspection stickers create a very serious public safety concern. Fake inspection stickers mask unsafe motor vehicles that place all motorists on our roadways in harm.”
