A driver who installed a device on his compact car to hide his licence plate while crossing Metro Vancouver toll bridges is facing fraud charges.

An off-duty Surrey Mountie first noticed the 1993 Geo Metro when it was headed across the Golden Ears Bridge towards Maple Ridge – with no visible licence plate.

But the officer was even more surprised when that licence plate re-appeared after the tiny car passed the toll cameras.

“He saw a valid B.C. license plate magically lift into place,” Cpl. Scotty Schumann says of the Dec. 2014 encounter.

Police identified the driver and vehicle through the licence plate number and eventually saw the man cross the bridge one more time “and observed the plate being manipulated to avoid toll cameras,” said Schumann.

The 49-year-old driver was pulled over and arrested for fraud. That’s when investigators found a cable system inside the vehicle that pulled the licence plate up from view when pulled.

The Port Coquitlam resident is charged with two counts of fraud under $5,000 and his 22-year-old vehicle has been seized and may be forfeited.

“This serves as a reminder to anyone actively trying to defeat the toll system that it is a criminal offence and that you could lose your vehicle and face charges,” Cpl. Schumann said in a statement.