| Car cloning is the vehicle equivalent of identity | | | | organised crime and potentially, terrorist activity. |
| theft.There are as many as 10,000 cloned cars on UK | | | | Many people have only discovered that they are a |
| roads, but still many people are still unaware of the | | | | victim of this crime when they have suddenly started |
| problem, and even the police admit they don't know | | | | to receive parking tickets for places they haven't been, |
| the true scale of it. | | | | or other fines or endorsements that have nothing to |
| How does it work? | | | | do with them. |
| There are various ways of cloning cars, most popular | | | | As the onus is on them to prove their innocence, many |
| ways involves getting hold of other number plate (or | | | | victims have been left in the difficult situation of paying |
| illegally printed number plates) and using them on cars | | | | up or letting the issue go to court, simply because they |
| that the plates aren't registered too. | | | | cannot prove it wasn't them who carried out the |
| The vehicle registration mark on a number plate is the | | | | infringement. |
| key piece of information that the Driver and Vehicle | | | | Wendy Rowe, boss of leading vehicle security |
| Licensing Agency (DVLA) use to look up keeper | | | | company Retainagroup explains: |
| details on a vehicle record. | | | | "The owner of a cloned car who receives fines, |
| Stolen number plates are used on vehicles, by those | | | | charges, penalty points or is accused of stealing fuel or |
| who don't want to be found out when they commit | | | | involvement in more serious crimes has the difficult |
| such crimes as:speedingillegal parkingnot paying | | | | task of proving that he or she is innocent. I wonder |
| congestion charges driving away from a petrol | | | | how many have just taken the hit and accepted a fine |
| forecourt without paying not paying for parking tickets | | | | or penalty points rather than challenge the system?" |
| or speeding fines | | | | "If the car is used as a getaway vehicle or in a ram |
| 'disguising' a stolen vehicle | | | | raid, there will be a further victim of the original crime. |
| The Most Common Ways This Is Done: | | | | And if you're unfortunate enough to 'buy' a cloned |
| Criminals make a 'clone' of another car by replacing | | | | vehicle, you'll find that you don't own it and that you |
| the number plates on their car with the stolen | | | | can say goodbye to the money. Even a vehicle |
| registration plates from an almost identical vehicle of | | | | provenance check will not necessarily reveal a clone." |
| the same make, model and even colour. | | | | What can we all do to stay 1 step ahead of cloners? |
| When the owner of the cloned car realises that their | | | | Make it hard for them to get your number plates off, |
| number plates have gone, they go to the trouble & | | | | make sure your plates are attached with clutch head |
| expense to replace them, unaware that the cloned | | | | screws & caps & double sided adhesive tape. |
| vehicle is now being used under its new identity for a | | | | If you notice your number plate has gone don't just |
| load of law-breaking activities. | | | | presume it must have fallen off on the road, report it to |
| These activities can range from getting away without | | | | the police straight away this will prove that you |
| paying for parking tickets, speeding fines as well as | | | | reported the theft should your car be cloned and your |
| driving off a petrol station forecourt without paying. | | | | registration be used at a later date. |
| They can also be used in more serious crimes including | | | | |