What's the problem?

[goorwich]

Probably a stupid question but why do many owners mask their number plate when posting a photo. I presume it is to avoid crims pinching their car,when by knowing the identity of the owner they can find out where the car might be kept. Is that it ?

[Major Fallout]

I always thought it was a cloning thing?

[eldar]

goorwich said:

Probably a stupid question but why do many owners mask their number plate when posting a photo. I presume it is to avoid crims pinching their car,when by knowing the identity of the owner they can find out where the car might be kept. Is that it ?

Plate cloning. I cover up the plates on my car, just in case. The police keep ticking me off, though

[JREwing]

goorwich said:

Probably a stupid question but why do many owners mask their number plate when posting a photo. I presume it is to avoid crims pinching their car,when by knowing the identity of the owner they can find out where the car might be kept. Is that it ?

Not that they can find the identity of the owner from that (unless they're well-connected, I suppose). I think there's a belief that they can and will. Also, I suppose it just makes themselves that slight bit more private.

Possibly also shady.....people can't do an HPI check?

[mike9009]

Never quite understood it!

But, if a crim wanted owned a silver Ford Focus, and wanted a registration plate from another to loose the old bill, a simple search of google images would eventually reveal a car with a suitbale registration plate.

I think that's how it works!

[okie592]

i never got it either especially if a crim wanted to clone something all they would have to do is look out the window,

[zeduffman]

okie592 said:

i never got it either especially if a crim wanted to clone something all they would have to do is look out the window,

There's more chance of them finding the car they want to clone on the internet than parked on the street outside their house...

[zeduffman]

goorwich said:

Probably a stupid question but why do many owners mask their number plate when posting a photo. I presume it is to avoid crims pinching their car,when by knowing the identity of the owner they can find out where the car might be kept. Is that it ?

I think it's more to stop crims using it to clone the plates to steal an identical car they've located. If you steal a car, then add registration plates from an identical model, it won't show up as stolen to ANPR cameras and the vehicle description will match (ie. not a Ferrari with a plate from a Peugeot).

I suppose they could also do it for their own car so they don't get speeding tickets.

[4key]

The people that I know do it because everything that you post is traceable, well more linkable actually. Sometimes its not to hard to link an interior shot video of youre car doing 180 on the motorway with a picture that you posted somewhere, thus giving away the registration. Or you might comment on another forum about a way that you insure your car that isnt exactly above board ect. Its just another peice of information thats out there about you that can be seached apon and linked to other posts in other places, other usernames to search, other cars that you have owned.....


Some people just dont like making it easy to link stuff up about them

[JimmyTheHand]

goorwich said:

Probably a stupid question but why do many owners mask their number plate when posting a photo. I presume it is to avoid crims pinching their car,when by knowing the identity of the owner they can find out where the car might be kept. Is that it ?

as others have said cloning.

But also, it makes it easier to verify a link between the account and a particular car if you know the plates and you may say something on a forum that you may not want linked back to your car - e.g. if have a location in your profile and then say such as being excited about next weeks European road trip, you probably wouldn't want just anyone to be able to link your car and where it is normally parked on your drive to that statement - paranoid maybe, but it is much easier not to divulge such information that try removing it from Internet later on. And if Google start doing OCR on images they index, it may just be a case of searching Google to find photos of the registration plate.

Just because you are paranoid - doesn't mean they aren't out to get you

[northandy]

okie592 said:

i never got it either especially if a crim wanted to clone something all they would have to do is look out the window,

But every model and colour of every car isnt parked there.

In this day and age id blank it out, you dont know what new scam is coming, for the time it takes its no issue. If i had something nice id certainly take every step i could to protect it.