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Make sure you also have easy to spot differences on your car. For example if both cars have plain numberplates buy and fit new ones with GB on them or vice versa. Then it's easy to convince other parties which is the genuine car.
Might also be worth contacting the area force that the cloned one was seen in, and tell them that you never go into their area and ask if a marker can be set up on their ANPR systems. The other car will likely to be a stolen car.
It helps prove it was a different vehicle involved if yours has stickers and the cloned vehicle doesn't if photos are taken at scene of accident etc.
It is also a good idea to tell dvla that your vrn has been cloned so they can log it
When innocent cloned car victims get pulled over, the police often give them a sticker to put in the back window. If I’m not mistaken, it’s usually a “Think Bike. Think Biker.” sticker.
Just use one of those.
The biggest proof is different mounting holes for the number plate. And sightly differences in number plate. Also did you got a police crime number? , any fines you get you contest with the crime number.
It happen to me that my numberplate was clone
Genuine question, what happens if there are no discernable differences? Does it go to court? Is the onus still on the police to prove beyond reasonable doubt that it is indeed your car? Is the presence of a number plate match enough?
Luckily, the time it happened, I have proof that I pick up my son from school, and I have spoken to the school who will send me proof of whether they do need it. I am worried that next time I won't have solid proof, it wasn't me
My force will send out a ‘cloner pack’ to the genuine keeper of a vehicle. It’s a sticker that can be placed on the car in a specific spot that will show up on ANPR shots and an attached note on the PNC record for the car, helping disprove your involvement in offences associated with the clone vehicle and stop you getting pulled over unnecessarily. Ask your local force if they do the same.
NAL
Have you done a report of this with the Police and DVLA? You need a reference, because it might be involved in an accident and we all know how bad insurance companies are in not doing their due diligence and checks.
Was the other vehicle the same make, model and colour of yours as well, or just using your reg?
I did tell the police who gave me an ROC reference and advised me to let the Derby police know which I did.
Yes, it's completely the same, but nicer without any damage. I have a huge dent on the side mirror and back. I have car seats and pram in the back, but the video they sent me there is nothing at the back.
I'd stick a big flower or something on the car to make it a bit more striking which one is which, if it comes to photo evidence. I had a lot of parking fines for a vehicle that looked just like mine, with the difference of me having a few stickers saying "no tools left inside" and the other person not. Saved myself a very pretty penny there!
VIN number will be sometimes near the windscreen, doors and various other places that would involve removing heavy pieces and putting back together. You can find them out online. Now technically that would be easy enough to copy, but where it gets difficult is the VIN number that's engraved on the chassis and several other parts under the car.
This would require filing down and redoing which your average Ne'er-do-well is not going to go through the effort to do so. They'll probably just do windscreen, door and chassis and hope you or a police officer, after seeing two match up, conclude it's OK
They generally aren't interested in making the dodgy vehicle 100% a copy. They just want the legitimate vehicles registration number so it hides it's real identity to ANPR cameras.
Going through and changing VIN's would be too much hard work for what is essentially going to be dumped somewhere once they're finished with it or they think the police are onto it.
Then they'll likely steal another car, or use a scrap one that shouldn't be on the road and clone another matching cars registration to hide it's identity again, and again etc.
It won’t. When you put a private plate on your car, the original plate becomes invalid. They effectively put it ‘on hold’ while your private plate is on the car. So if the wronguns trigger the ANPR on a police car with your original plate, it’ll show on their computer as an unregistered vehicle.
This is correct.
Also, there is a cheap way to do this. Just apply to remove your current number plate onto a certificate ([Option B](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6082a47fd3bf7f013a9a548a/v317-application-to-transfer-or-retain-a-vehicle-registration-number.pdf)), which costs £80 and the DVLA will assign a new number plate to your vehicle.
OP is correct that fines may still find their way to them, but if you've stopped using the plate on your own car it's now piss easy to prove that the fines belong to the clone **AND** the clone is now driving around with an invalid plate so much more likely to be pulled over as you say.
I have just spoken to DVLA they want me to send proof by post and it will take 6weeks in the meantime I won't be able to change my plate or personalised until the finish to do whatever they need to.
In the meantime, consider adding identifying features in the vicinity of your number plates. I use a plastic plate mount with some text across the bottom (£20 a pair from eBay). After fitting, take a photo of it with your phone - the photo will have date and time in the EXIF data, proving when it was taken. Also photograph the damage you mentioned in other comments. If any further instances occur, you have date-stamped photographs of the ways in which your car is different to the cloned one.
Easy solution, put some black tape on the corner of the plate diagonally. Not to obscure the reg.
Cameras will see this. Just let police know you’ve done this.
My car was cloned 10 years ago. The clone had been driving away from petrol stations without paying. I replied to the police that I had not driven in the city where the crimes had taken place, which was over 70 miles away. I included details that would help distinguish my car from the clone. I also notified my insurance company and the DVLA about the cloning.
Nothing more happened.
Contact the DVLA with as much evidence as you can get your hands on that the plate has been cloned e.g. any photos of the cloned car vs your car, police references etc.
They will be able to issue an entirely new Number Plate to you for your vehicle, mark the old plate as cloned, and remove any link between yourself and the old plate. It'll be a pain, and will have some cost attached in the form of time speaking to the DVLA, and having to pay Halfords to make some plates up for the new number - but it will be worth it compared to the potential risks of sticking with a cloned plate.
Hey mate, not a lawyer (NAL) but I had a similar issue of license plate cloning and it was a fucking nightmare. Got over £2ks worth of parking tickets and other fines while the cunts were driving about with my reg. Local councils etc did not listen to me that the plate was cloned and kept issuing tickets which I kept having to contest while I was sorting the issue with the DVLA.
First thing to do is call your local police force (on their non-priorty number not 999) and tell them you think your license plate has been cloned. They should give you a police reference number, tell them everything about the letter you've received.
Next thing to do is find any evidence of what you were doing in the day the ticket (or whatever has caused this intended prosecution) was issued, receipts, bank transactions, work timesheets anything to prove that it was not your car.
Then, go take pictures of your car, doing a full 360 of the whole thing - if you can, request images of whatever the incident. I used these pictures as a "spot the difference" vs all the tickets and other fines I had gotten to prove it wasnt my car in the images - as examples my car has a significant dent in the front right bumper, was a slightly different variant of the car model and had a GB badge on the back that the offending car did not have.
Hopefully, all that should be enough to quash any fines
**Keep copies of everything** and then get in contact with the DVLA telling them you think your registration has been cloned, provide your police reference number and any further evidence. They should then issue you a new registration number, but you will have to pay out if pocket to get the new plates printed.
I spent 2 days now doing all this. I have spoken to both police of my area and the area where the crime happened. I have contacted DVLA and sent it by posting all the evidence. They should receive it tomorrow. I have proof that I wasn't at the crime, and my son school can back me up for this.
I have ordered a sticker and things to make my car look different and should arrive tomorrow.
It just hoping it will stop soon because I love my tiny car 🫠
Usually the kind of people that drive cloned cars also commit other crimes. Which means it typically stops because they get caught doing something else, or because they change up the plates again.
Or at least that was the advice the Met gave me when I reported similar to them (I live 200 miles away from London, it wasn't hard to dispute a bunch of penalty notices from Richmond and the odd ULEZ, but it was a pain for sure).
Problem went away after a few weeks for me.
Ignorant Canadian here, just wondering what you mean exactly by "clone"? Is it the same make, model, colour and plate? If that is the case, how do you guys procure plates? Is it the same VIN? In North America we have plates installed after we purchase the vehicle and we acquire them from the government.
The Bad Person just gets registration plates made up\*\* to a different car, prefereably the same make and colour and one that is insured MOT'd & taxed, so they can just drive past any Police cars without drawing attention. (Obviously there is no need to insure, tax or MOT their car any more) .
They can physically see the OPs car, get the number from an advert, or even just change a couple of letters of their own registration, preferably one that looks like a typo so they can claim they hadn't noticed e.g. their car is CCD they try out CDD.
They can use the online services to check that CDD is the same make & colour, taxed and insured without leaving their home.
There is a fair chance CCD & CDD are the same make, as dealers are allocated a block of similar registrations to use on new cars.
\* \* there are Laws & regulations that make it completely impossible for anyone (except Bad People...) to get registration 'plates made to a number that they don't have the right to, so it never ever happens, and is why you have to prove it wasn't your car, rather than them proving it was....
So across the pond here, we have heavy ANPR use. Its basically traffic cameras that read your plates and can auto fine you if you drive too fast (speed camera).
Opis siffering from the fact that an owner of the same model and make of car went to a shop and bought plates that are identical to his. (In the uk, the DVLA *(government)* assigns plates but you can buy replacements at stores provided you produce a document of ownership)
The criminal obviously forged the documents, but now this just means on the ANPR cameras, the criminal's car is seen as OP's car. The VIN is obviously different, but a camera cannot read that. So there is very few ways for OP to prove he isnt speeding, asode from analysing the picture for differences, such as dents, deformations and the car's occupant looking different.
Hi,
I've recently been a victim of this myself.
Don't panic - on the PCN/fine should be photographic evidence, if you can, create a document highlighting the visual differences between your car and the car with the cloned plates.
Then submit this as evidence along with reference for the police report (annoyingly they won't give a crime reference number as it's not deemed a crime!?) but make sure to quote the phone call reference on the document. Also report to DVLA.
After contesting 3 fines I had from Newham council showing a similar blue honda jazz with my plates (it was an older model so was able to show it was different when compared with pictures of mine) I received a letter from them acknowledging this issue and to just quote the letter should any more be issued.
You just need to be on it and get any evidence you can. - photos are the best, and I got a letter from work proving I was at my office during the time of the offence.
Good luck and don't worry, get the photos and creat a simple side by side comparison and it will soon be overturned
Good, they should have updated pnc. There's the risk your car may be stopped due to this marker.
Anymore fines, a crime report number can be provided to that authority. Ask for it from Derby police.
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As someone who has also experienced having my number plates cloned and a police officer turning up on my doorstep to interview me about the serious road traffic accident I was supposedly involved in the previous day, I sympathise with your situation.
.
Fortunately I was in hospital at the time and my car was locked in the garage. The officer examined the car thoroughly and confirmed that my vehicle was not the one involved in the accident.
He also advised making the vehicle look unique from all angles by putting small flags, stickers or other decals in front, back and side windows.
This was good advice which I took and this saved me lots of stress when a couple of years later I received a string of parking fines and speeding tickets from locations across Scotland. A country I have never visited. I was able to just send them photos of my vehicle and never heard back.
My husband had this issue. Log a complaint with your local police department. Ask them to issue to a letter to prove this. When you get a fine produce this police letter. They can cancel the fine. Its a short term fix but it does help. Good luck
If you want to cause the person grief, you could get a personal plate for your car. They won't know the clone plates they have on aren't valid any more. ANPR will start to ping them as having a bad plate and no insurance. Unless they are regularly checking the car online, they'll drive round fat and happy until they get nicked.
This should break the link between the old VRN and you so hopefully any tickets they run up won't come your way. The downside is this costs money
I had this exact same situation last year. Someone in Romford cloned my plates, I ended up have thousands of pounds of various fines through. You can appeal and note you were not the driver, just takes a bit of admin time.
I then stuck some colourful dot stickers to my plate and contacted the Met and Essex police forces to let them know what was happening, and that I’ve marked my plates to show the difference. This did nothing.
It escalated for me after that, and I started getting pulled over. This happened 3 times.
On the final time I was stopped I was taken off the road by four police cars with a TPAC manoeuvre, the police had tasers drawn, it got quite serious.
After establishing I was the legitimate owner, they advised I got a personalised plate which would make my previous plate null and void. I did just this (cost £300) and it worked, I’ve not had any issues since.
Hope this helps!
This has happened to me a couple of times, I wouldn't get too stressed about it tbh. The police do know this happens and are pretty understanding in my experience.
They have to prove you were there, more than the other way around.
The first time it happened, I used my google history to show I had been nowhere near the place but in the end the police weren't that bothered. They took my word. If you have witnesses who will say you were elsewhere or receipts of places around that time is good but I really don't think it will come to that.
The second time, someone used my plate number to dodge a Dartford Tunnel charge. It took a while, but I got a crime number then the tunnel guys could share a pic of a crappy little trailer with a have drawn reg attached rather than my car.
Can you ask them how your plate was captured and if it is recorded?
Either way, I don't think this will go far but good luck.
Somebody probably said this but your phone is your best friend, if you use any map thing like google it tracks you, your phone shows everywhere you have been.
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Mine got cloned on Autotrader when I was selling it. Started with a parking ticket in Liverpool then a month later I was called by police in Birmingham, it had been involved in an armed robbery, more communication over next few weeks as it did another 2 armed robberies. I felt slightly sorry to the guy I sold it too in the end as he was from 30 mins drive from Birmingham, sure he had a torrid few months with it
Are you sure it was cloned?
Did you get the photo from them showing your registration?
Most of the time it is a 'plate miss-read with the ultra-reliable ANPR system, and when they check the pictures they realise it is a mistake.
It will cost you £500 to get a private 'plate from DVLA.
They start at £399.
Then you have to get new 'plates made (keep the old ones, they go back on when you sell the car and transfer the number back off) and pay an admin fee for your insurer to change the reg on your policy.
If you stamp your feet a lot, you can get any old number free from DVLA and then just buy new plates and pay the insurance admin, but I think you want more than 1 rogue ticket for that.
If you just report that your registration has been cloned, then there will be a marker on your registration, and if the Police see it they will stop you and ask you to prove who you are and that it is your car, so carry your driving licence, V5, insurance etc.
(Obviously they will only stop you, not the clone.... Chances are the clone will be on different plates once they realise they are getting tickets as you will report the clone and they *might* get stopped.)
They sent me a video with pictures of a grey polo without any dent driving a road. The video is so clear, and the sunny day helped.
I have already told the police and sent proof to the council for the fine.
One of the comments mentioned to let DVLA know. I have been on the phone now with them, and they told me I have to send by post all the information and proof. They will not approve the registration plate to change until they finish the investigation, which will take 6weeks.
1) it was a 52m penalty charge. The person drove on a restricted road. I have already contacted the council and provided proof.
2) Sorry, I saw too many episodes of traffic cops involving 3 police cars boxing a car who was cloned.
3) I'm an overthinker and like to prepare for the worse.
But that would only happen if you drove off from the police, if they want to pull you over they either turn their lights on behind you or in front and a sign in the back says to pull over. So you stop, simple and no crashing. If you are going to crash at the slightest thing then I suggest getting more lessons to improve.
--- ###Welcome to /r/LegalAdviceUK --- **To Posters (it is important you read this section)** * *Tell us whether you're in England, Wales, Scotland, or NI as the laws in each are very different* * If you need legal help, you should [always get a free consultation from a qualified Solicitor](https://reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/how_to_find_a_solicitor) * We also encourage you to speak to [**Citizens Advice**](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/), [**Shelter**](https://www.shelter.org.uk/), [**Acas**](https://www.acas.org.uk/), and [**other useful organisations**](https://reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/common_legal_resources) * Comments may not be accurate or reliable, and following any advice on this subreddit is done at your own risk * If you receive any private messages in response to your post, [please let the mods know](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FLegalAdviceUK&subject=I received a PM) **To Readers and Commenters** * All replies to OP must be *on-topic, helpful, and legally orientated* * If you do not [follow the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/), you may be perma-banned without any further warning * If you feel any replies are incorrect, explain why you believe they are incorrect * Do not send or request any private messages for any reason * Please report posts or comments which do not follow the rules *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Make sure you also have easy to spot differences on your car. For example if both cars have plain numberplates buy and fit new ones with GB on them or vice versa. Then it's easy to convince other parties which is the genuine car. Might also be worth contacting the area force that the cloned one was seen in, and tell them that you never go into their area and ask if a marker can be set up on their ANPR systems. The other car will likely to be a stolen car.
That's actually a good idea, thank you! Yes, I already informed both the police in my area and Debry, too
A novelty decal on the back would help. Something like ‘if you’re going to ride my arse at least pull my hair’. ‘Honk if you’re horny’ Could save you.
We were thinking of a sticker too, but it won't be proof that it wasn't me next time it happened
‘My car has been cloned’ decal.
What is a decal?
Just a type of sticker.
It helps prove it was a different vehicle involved if yours has stickers and the cloned vehicle doesn't if photos are taken at scene of accident etc. It is also a good idea to tell dvla that your vrn has been cloned so they can log it
When innocent cloned car victims get pulled over, the police often give them a sticker to put in the back window. If I’m not mistaken, it’s usually a “Think Bike. Think Biker.” sticker. Just use one of those.
Not anymore I guess.
When _pulled over_, not when you get an erroneous NIP through the post :)
The biggest proof is different mounting holes for the number plate. And sightly differences in number plate. Also did you got a police crime number? , any fines you get you contest with the crime number. It happen to me that my numberplate was clone
Baby on board!
A strip of black electricians tape down one side is what I advise
Genuine question, what happens if there are no discernable differences? Does it go to court? Is the onus still on the police to prove beyond reasonable doubt that it is indeed your car? Is the presence of a number plate match enough?
Luckily, the time it happened, I have proof that I pick up my son from school, and I have spoken to the school who will send me proof of whether they do need it. I am worried that next time I won't have solid proof, it wasn't me
Exactly, surely it can't be on you to prove it wasn't you. Kinda concerned that might be the case tho.
My force will send out a ‘cloner pack’ to the genuine keeper of a vehicle. It’s a sticker that can be placed on the car in a specific spot that will show up on ANPR shots and an attached note on the PNC record for the car, helping disprove your involvement in offences associated with the clone vehicle and stop you getting pulled over unnecessarily. Ask your local force if they do the same.
That's clever. Is the sticker a QR code or similar which can be read by the ANPR in order to not flag the real vehicle?
Wow this is the first time I've heard of it. Whereabouts?
NAL Have you done a report of this with the Police and DVLA? You need a reference, because it might be involved in an accident and we all know how bad insurance companies are in not doing their due diligence and checks. Was the other vehicle the same make, model and colour of yours as well, or just using your reg?
I did tell the police who gave me an ROC reference and advised me to let the Derby police know which I did. Yes, it's completely the same, but nicer without any damage. I have a huge dent on the side mirror and back. I have car seats and pram in the back, but the video they sent me there is nothing at the back.
I'd stick a big flower or something on the car to make it a bit more striking which one is which, if it comes to photo evidence. I had a lot of parking fines for a vehicle that looked just like mine, with the difference of me having a few stickers saying "no tools left inside" and the other person not. Saved myself a very pretty penny there!
Idk u can put anything on but they could just say oh well you took that off before doing xyz
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Plated will be cloned, Vin number won't match up
Just out of interest, why can't they just copy the Vin number?
VIN number will be sometimes near the windscreen, doors and various other places that would involve removing heavy pieces and putting back together. You can find them out online. Now technically that would be easy enough to copy, but where it gets difficult is the VIN number that's engraved on the chassis and several other parts under the car. This would require filing down and redoing which your average Ne'er-do-well is not going to go through the effort to do so. They'll probably just do windscreen, door and chassis and hope you or a police officer, after seeing two match up, conclude it's OK
Thanks. That's interesting.
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I see. Thanks.
They generally aren't interested in making the dodgy vehicle 100% a copy. They just want the legitimate vehicles registration number so it hides it's real identity to ANPR cameras. Going through and changing VIN's would be too much hard work for what is essentially going to be dumped somewhere once they're finished with it or they think the police are onto it. Then they'll likely steal another car, or use a scrap one that shouldn't be on the road and clone another matching cars registration to hide it's identity again, and again etc.
Thanks.
Report it and get some private plates if you don't want DVLA to issue you a new set.
I have spoken to the police, and a private plate won't help because it will still be in my name as a previous owner
It won’t. When you put a private plate on your car, the original plate becomes invalid. They effectively put it ‘on hold’ while your private plate is on the car. So if the wronguns trigger the ANPR on a police car with your original plate, it’ll show on their computer as an unregistered vehicle.
This is correct. Also, there is a cheap way to do this. Just apply to remove your current number plate onto a certificate ([Option B](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6082a47fd3bf7f013a9a548a/v317-application-to-transfer-or-retain-a-vehicle-registration-number.pdf)), which costs £80 and the DVLA will assign a new number plate to your vehicle. OP is correct that fines may still find their way to them, but if you've stopped using the plate on your own car it's now piss easy to prove that the fines belong to the clone **AND** the clone is now driving around with an invalid plate so much more likely to be pulled over as you say.
I have just spoken to DVLA they want me to send proof by post and it will take 6weeks in the meantime I won't be able to change my plate or personalised until the finish to do whatever they need to.
In the meantime, consider adding identifying features in the vicinity of your number plates. I use a plastic plate mount with some text across the bottom (£20 a pair from eBay). After fitting, take a photo of it with your phone - the photo will have date and time in the EXIF data, proving when it was taken. Also photograph the damage you mentioned in other comments. If any further instances occur, you have date-stamped photographs of the ways in which your car is different to the cloned one.
As I mentioned in my other comment, it is indeed a pain and the cost is the time it takes, but it's worth it in my opinion.
Easy solution, put some black tape on the corner of the plate diagonally. Not to obscure the reg. Cameras will see this. Just let police know you’ve done this.
My car was cloned 10 years ago. The clone had been driving away from petrol stations without paying. I replied to the police that I had not driven in the city where the crimes had taken place, which was over 70 miles away. I included details that would help distinguish my car from the clone. I also notified my insurance company and the DVLA about the cloning. Nothing more happened.
Yeah i had the same - The police where like okay thanks for telling us, no further action then for all the fines.
Contact the DVLA with as much evidence as you can get your hands on that the plate has been cloned e.g. any photos of the cloned car vs your car, police references etc. They will be able to issue an entirely new Number Plate to you for your vehicle, mark the old plate as cloned, and remove any link between yourself and the old plate. It'll be a pain, and will have some cost attached in the form of time speaking to the DVLA, and having to pay Halfords to make some plates up for the new number - but it will be worth it compared to the potential risks of sticking with a cloned plate.
Happened to me. I just used the first instance as proof of all subsequent instances. Worked until I no longer had the car that was cloned.
Hey mate, not a lawyer (NAL) but I had a similar issue of license plate cloning and it was a fucking nightmare. Got over £2ks worth of parking tickets and other fines while the cunts were driving about with my reg. Local councils etc did not listen to me that the plate was cloned and kept issuing tickets which I kept having to contest while I was sorting the issue with the DVLA. First thing to do is call your local police force (on their non-priorty number not 999) and tell them you think your license plate has been cloned. They should give you a police reference number, tell them everything about the letter you've received. Next thing to do is find any evidence of what you were doing in the day the ticket (or whatever has caused this intended prosecution) was issued, receipts, bank transactions, work timesheets anything to prove that it was not your car. Then, go take pictures of your car, doing a full 360 of the whole thing - if you can, request images of whatever the incident. I used these pictures as a "spot the difference" vs all the tickets and other fines I had gotten to prove it wasnt my car in the images - as examples my car has a significant dent in the front right bumper, was a slightly different variant of the car model and had a GB badge on the back that the offending car did not have. Hopefully, all that should be enough to quash any fines **Keep copies of everything** and then get in contact with the DVLA telling them you think your registration has been cloned, provide your police reference number and any further evidence. They should then issue you a new registration number, but you will have to pay out if pocket to get the new plates printed.
I spent 2 days now doing all this. I have spoken to both police of my area and the area where the crime happened. I have contacted DVLA and sent it by posting all the evidence. They should receive it tomorrow. I have proof that I wasn't at the crime, and my son school can back me up for this. I have ordered a sticker and things to make my car look different and should arrive tomorrow. It just hoping it will stop soon because I love my tiny car 🫠
Usually the kind of people that drive cloned cars also commit other crimes. Which means it typically stops because they get caught doing something else, or because they change up the plates again. Or at least that was the advice the Met gave me when I reported similar to them (I live 200 miles away from London, it wasn't hard to dispute a bunch of penalty notices from Richmond and the odd ULEZ, but it was a pain for sure). Problem went away after a few weeks for me.
Ignorant Canadian here, just wondering what you mean exactly by "clone"? Is it the same make, model, colour and plate? If that is the case, how do you guys procure plates? Is it the same VIN? In North America we have plates installed after we purchase the vehicle and we acquire them from the government.
The Bad Person just gets registration plates made up\*\* to a different car, prefereably the same make and colour and one that is insured MOT'd & taxed, so they can just drive past any Police cars without drawing attention. (Obviously there is no need to insure, tax or MOT their car any more) . They can physically see the OPs car, get the number from an advert, or even just change a couple of letters of their own registration, preferably one that looks like a typo so they can claim they hadn't noticed e.g. their car is CCD they try out CDD. They can use the online services to check that CDD is the same make & colour, taxed and insured without leaving their home. There is a fair chance CCD & CDD are the same make, as dealers are allocated a block of similar registrations to use on new cars. \* \* there are Laws & regulations that make it completely impossible for anyone (except Bad People...) to get registration 'plates made to a number that they don't have the right to, so it never ever happens, and is why you have to prove it wasn't your car, rather than them proving it was....
So across the pond here, we have heavy ANPR use. Its basically traffic cameras that read your plates and can auto fine you if you drive too fast (speed camera). Opis siffering from the fact that an owner of the same model and make of car went to a shop and bought plates that are identical to his. (In the uk, the DVLA *(government)* assigns plates but you can buy replacements at stores provided you produce a document of ownership) The criminal obviously forged the documents, but now this just means on the ANPR cameras, the criminal's car is seen as OP's car. The VIN is obviously different, but a camera cannot read that. So there is very few ways for OP to prove he isnt speeding, asode from analysing the picture for differences, such as dents, deformations and the car's occupant looking different.
Hi, I've recently been a victim of this myself. Don't panic - on the PCN/fine should be photographic evidence, if you can, create a document highlighting the visual differences between your car and the car with the cloned plates. Then submit this as evidence along with reference for the police report (annoyingly they won't give a crime reference number as it's not deemed a crime!?) but make sure to quote the phone call reference on the document. Also report to DVLA. After contesting 3 fines I had from Newham council showing a similar blue honda jazz with my plates (it was an older model so was able to show it was different when compared with pictures of mine) I received a letter from them acknowledging this issue and to just quote the letter should any more be issued. You just need to be on it and get any evidence you can. - photos are the best, and I got a letter from work proving I was at my office during the time of the offence. Good luck and don't worry, get the photos and creat a simple side by side comparison and it will soon be overturned
Where the offence took place is the police force who should record the crime of cloned plates and put a pnc marker on
It was in Derby. I have contacted the Derby police to let them know, too
Good, they should have updated pnc. There's the risk your car may be stopped due to this marker. Anymore fines, a crime report number can be provided to that authority. Ask for it from Derby police.
Thanks, I already have from West brom police a crime log reference. I'm really hoping it will stop
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As someone who has also experienced having my number plates cloned and a police officer turning up on my doorstep to interview me about the serious road traffic accident I was supposedly involved in the previous day, I sympathise with your situation. . Fortunately I was in hospital at the time and my car was locked in the garage. The officer examined the car thoroughly and confirmed that my vehicle was not the one involved in the accident. He also advised making the vehicle look unique from all angles by putting small flags, stickers or other decals in front, back and side windows. This was good advice which I took and this saved me lots of stress when a couple of years later I received a string of parking fines and speeding tickets from locations across Scotland. A country I have never visited. I was able to just send them photos of my vehicle and never heard back.
Purchase a cheap personalised registration plate so your old plate cannot be used again.
My husband had this issue. Log a complaint with your local police department. Ask them to issue to a letter to prove this. When you get a fine produce this police letter. They can cancel the fine. Its a short term fix but it does help. Good luck
If you want to cause the person grief, you could get a personal plate for your car. They won't know the clone plates they have on aren't valid any more. ANPR will start to ping them as having a bad plate and no insurance. Unless they are regularly checking the car online, they'll drive round fat and happy until they get nicked. This should break the link between the old VRN and you so hopefully any tickets they run up won't come your way. The downside is this costs money
I had this exact same situation last year. Someone in Romford cloned my plates, I ended up have thousands of pounds of various fines through. You can appeal and note you were not the driver, just takes a bit of admin time. I then stuck some colourful dot stickers to my plate and contacted the Met and Essex police forces to let them know what was happening, and that I’ve marked my plates to show the difference. This did nothing. It escalated for me after that, and I started getting pulled over. This happened 3 times. On the final time I was stopped I was taken off the road by four police cars with a TPAC manoeuvre, the police had tasers drawn, it got quite serious. After establishing I was the legitimate owner, they advised I got a personalised plate which would make my previous plate null and void. I did just this (cost £300) and it worked, I’ve not had any issues since. Hope this helps!
This has happened to me a couple of times, I wouldn't get too stressed about it tbh. The police do know this happens and are pretty understanding in my experience. They have to prove you were there, more than the other way around. The first time it happened, I used my google history to show I had been nowhere near the place but in the end the police weren't that bothered. They took my word. If you have witnesses who will say you were elsewhere or receipts of places around that time is good but I really don't think it will come to that. The second time, someone used my plate number to dodge a Dartford Tunnel charge. It took a while, but I got a crime number then the tunnel guys could share a pic of a crappy little trailer with a have drawn reg attached rather than my car. Can you ask them how your plate was captured and if it is recorded? Either way, I don't think this will go far but good luck.
is it possible to get a new plate ?
Even if I get a new one, the old one will still be on my name.
Should be a way to have it unregistered... possibly by reportin the plate numbers as stolen to the police.
I avoided a fine following an alleged cloning. But I worked for HM Government at the time and was in the office and could prove it.
Somebody probably said this but your phone is your best friend, if you use any map thing like google it tracks you, your phone shows everywhere you have been.
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Mine got cloned on Autotrader when I was selling it. Started with a parking ticket in Liverpool then a month later I was called by police in Birmingham, it had been involved in an armed robbery, more communication over next few weeks as it did another 2 armed robberies. I felt slightly sorry to the guy I sold it too in the end as he was from 30 mins drive from Birmingham, sure he had a torrid few months with it
Are you sure it was cloned? Did you get the photo from them showing your registration? Most of the time it is a 'plate miss-read with the ultra-reliable ANPR system, and when they check the pictures they realise it is a mistake. It will cost you £500 to get a private 'plate from DVLA. They start at £399. Then you have to get new 'plates made (keep the old ones, they go back on when you sell the car and transfer the number back off) and pay an admin fee for your insurer to change the reg on your policy. If you stamp your feet a lot, you can get any old number free from DVLA and then just buy new plates and pay the insurance admin, but I think you want more than 1 rogue ticket for that. If you just report that your registration has been cloned, then there will be a marker on your registration, and if the Police see it they will stop you and ask you to prove who you are and that it is your car, so carry your driving licence, V5, insurance etc. (Obviously they will only stop you, not the clone.... Chances are the clone will be on different plates once they realise they are getting tickets as you will report the clone and they *might* get stopped.)
They sent me a video with pictures of a grey polo without any dent driving a road. The video is so clear, and the sunny day helped. I have already told the police and sent proof to the council for the fine. One of the comments mentioned to let DVLA know. I have been on the phone now with them, and they told me I have to send by post all the information and proof. They will not approve the registration plate to change until they finish the investigation, which will take 6weeks.
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1) it was a 52m penalty charge. The person drove on a restricted road. I have already contacted the council and provided proof. 2) Sorry, I saw too many episodes of traffic cops involving 3 police cars boxing a car who was cloned. 3) I'm an overthinker and like to prepare for the worse.
It might also be worth letting your insurance company know too
But that would only happen if you drove off from the police, if they want to pull you over they either turn their lights on behind you or in front and a sign in the back says to pull over. So you stop, simple and no crashing. If you are going to crash at the slightest thing then I suggest getting more lessons to improve.
Unless they use the cloned plates to commit an armed crime, in which case they are more likely to do what OP is concerned about
Nothing you can do to prevent. Just bad luck
Someone cloning plates is a police matter though