[Harvey Specter]

Car insurance is expensive but forging yourself a licence plate with a Sharpie is just not worth the savings.

Coquitlam RCMP issued a warning Thursday after seizing a forged licence plate and towing a vehicle earlier this summer.

According to Cpl. Michael McLaughlin, a citizen called police in June to report a van as suspicious. Officers located the van parked in an undisclosed area of Port Coquitlam and found that it featured licence plates that had insurance stickers drawn in with a marker.

Officers seized the licence plates and the van was towed.

“We’re used to hearing creative excuses for people trying to get out of a ticket, but I’d love to have heard this driver’s explanation,” said McLaughlin. “This particular van was unoccupied when we found it and had multiple drivers associated to the vehicle. Had we stopped it while it was moving the driver would have faced some serious consequences.”

While the savings may seem tempting and a falsified decal seems harmless, driving with no insurance can net a $598 fine, altering or using fake plates or documents contravenes the Motor Vehicle Act and will land you in court, while forgery itself is a Criminal Code violation.

McLaughlin said the only surefire way to avoid getting pulled over is to insure a vehicle properly, display the necessary plates and obey the law.