WITH the cost of car, maintenance and repair and insurance going through the roof, a worrying trend of cloned registration plates is spreading.
This involves criminals identifying a vehicle similar to their own, then copying the registration plate and fitting it to their own. Thousands of cases have already been uncovered. Fines for parking, speeding and bus lane infringements along with other offences committed by cloned cars, including crashes, have been overturned because the real owner of the registration was able to prove that it was not them.
Thousands of vehicles are cloned in this way every year, and if you can’t prove that the vehicle snapped by NPR (number plate recognition) cameras is not yours, it will lead to some very expensive fines. But there are some great motor industry tips that could help you avoid cloning fines.
The first is a lot more obvious than it might first seem. In this multimedia world, many people want to post photographs of themselves, their family, and their cars all over social media. A good tip is to never post any photo that shows your car’s registration number, including if you are offering your car for sale. Posting pictures of your car with the registration on view makes it much easier for criminals who are looking for an exact match of model, make, and colour as their own. So make sure you obscure your licence plate when posting photos online.
A dash cam’s timestamp footage offers another easy way to prove that your vehicle wasn’t anywhere near that speed camera or crash in which the cloned vehicle was involved.
Next, consider getting your registration plates made with some sort of little extra added. Adding a legal image to your number plate, such as a country flag, manufacturer’s logo or dealer’s name makes it much easier to challenge a fine accrued by a cloned car. It will come in handy if you need to prove that the car in evidence photos is not yours. Make sure, though, to take a time-stamped photo of your car with the extra detail immediately so you can prove you haven’t just added it in an attempt to avoid a fine.
Another option is to add a sticker or other custom mark to the front of your vehicle. A small but clearly visible sticker will help you to differentiate your car from a cloner caught by a speed or bus lane camera – something subtle but distinctive that would be visible on a camera. I have friends who have stickers from car shows or rallies they have kept on their car to differentiate it should they need to prove it was not them. Nonstandard alloy wheels or a small spoiler could possibly do the same job, but don’t forget to get that date-stamped photo with the differentiators.
A dash cam’s timestamp footage offers another easy way to prove that your vehicle wasn’t anywhere near that speed camera or crash in which the cloned vehicle was involved. It could also be extremely useful if someone tries to actually steal your plates or comes near your car, as many dashcams start filming the moment the car is stolen or someone gets close.
Whilst not the most inexpensive option, a tracking device, just like a dashcam, can prove definitively you were nowhere near the alleged event. Keep your registration safe and you might just save yourself a lot of money and points on your licence. Happy motoring.
