Number plate cloning is a very common form of vehicle identity theft and it’s also on the rise. The practice involves a criminal copying the registration number of a car, usually with no previous fines or speeding tickets, and getting it made up onto their own vehicle.
Drivers don’t normally realize that their plates have been cloned until they receive penalty charge notices for traffic offences they didn’t commit. They’re then urged to contact the DVLA and police.
Personalised number plates are a great way to make your car more individual. You can pay a lot of money to get a plate with your name on it or a phrase that means something to you.
How to Get a Personalised Registration?
If you want to get a personalised registration, it’s a good idea to go through the DVLA as it is the cheapest way of getting one and it cuts out the middleman. It also has a search tool that allows you to find the perfect plate for you.
The DVLA has banned some personalised plates for new motors which spell out rude words or offensive messages. These include ‘OR16 ASM’ and ‘B16 DKK’, both of which have been banned for being “rude”.
If you’re looking to buy a personalised plate, it’s a good idea to check the DVLA website as it has 45 million registered numbers available to purchase through brokers or on auction. It can also be worth checking private sale sites as you might be able to find something that isn’t listed on the DVLA’s site.
Private Number Plates
The theft of private number plates is becoming a widespread problem in the UK. It’s causing many to receive parking and speeding fines that shouldn’t be theirs.
This is caused by criminals cloning your number plate onto another vehicle. This makes it incredibly difficult to prove your innocence.
A report in the Daily Express claims that personalised number plates are now being used to commit crimes such as petrol theft, house break-ins and drug trafficking. It also says some personalised plates can sell for thousands of pounds.
ANPR Technology
With ANPR technology increasingly used to identify vehicles, more and more rule benders have been resorting to cloning their number plates in order to avoid being caught by the authorities. They can do this by displaying a number plate that doesn’t match the make and colour of their car.
Vehicle cloning, or car identity theft, is one of the biggest issues facing motorists in the UK. It sees criminals copying a car’s number plate and putting it on their own vehicle. They usually choose a car with a ‘clean’ history – that is, without any previous fines or tickets.
These vehicles can then be used to carry out various illegal activities. These could be relatively low level crimes like parking illegally or driving in a bus lane, or more serious offences such as petrol drive-offs.
Who Offer Cloned Plates Online?
The problem is largely driven by dishonest suppliers who offer cloned plates online. In the UK, these companies are estimated to have made up over 40,000 of the 40,000 suppliers registered with the DVLA to sell private number plates.
Number plate cloning is a growing problem in the UK. It involves a criminal copying your car’s registration number and getting it copied onto another vehicle of the same make, model and colour to commit crimes such as speeding.
Final Words:
This often leads to the criminal receiving various tickets and fines in different authorities that they would have never been able to receive otherwise. This is incredibly frustrating and could lead to you having to prove your innocence.
Fortunately, you can quickly resolve this problem by reporting your plates to the DVLA. You can also change your number plate to a more unique, personalised one that will help deter crime and stop you from being a victim of cloning in the future.
