Discussion
Just had my Mother on the phone in a flap. She has just received a letter from TFL saying their car was parked on a Red Route and has incurred a £160 fine. They have never been to London, so obviously the plate has been cloned. The TFL phones aren't open until Monday morning, so we are a bit stuck until then, but in the meantime I have said to report it to 101 (assuming they might be interested, but hopefully get a dated crime ref) and put a couple of identifying stickers on the front and back of the car. Anything else we could do in the meantime? I assume a phone call on Monday should sort it out, unless the offending car is the same make and model.
2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
No photo with the letter? (Or the ability to go on line and look?)
Rather than a clone might just be a misread if she is lucky.
You'll doubtless get it sorted
No photo with the letter, but I will ask if there is a link to one.Rather than a clone might just be a misread if she is lucky.
You'll doubtless get it sorted
Edit: No link to a photo. 101 aren't interested either. Have to wait until Monday I suppose.
Edited by Red9zero on Saturday 19th February 12:44
Best of luck getting it resolved - I hope you've got plenty of evidence to prove it was a different vehicle seen by TfL enforcement. When someone cloned the OH's plates last year, which we discovered when a pair of CCZ and ULEZ penalties dropped through the letterbox, it took about 6 months before we managed to convince TfL that the car shown in their photos wasn't ours. Same make, model and colour, but clearly different alloy wheel designs, presence/absence of a towbar, and different styles of rear numberplate, were all clearly visible in their photos and the comparison ones we sent them as part of our initial appeal.
And no, the Met Police weren't interested - they deem it a matter between the vehicle owner and whoever has issued the penalty, and would only get involved if the penalty issuer accepted that it was a case of plate cloning and then approached the police themselves, which I have little faith in TfL bothering to have done once they'd finally accepted it was a cloning case, given that despite us making reference to this in the responses sent back to them as part of the ongoing appeals process, they never once referred to it in any of their correspondence to us...
So whilst it all got resolved in the end, and whilst no other penalties ever came through for that car before we sold it about a year later, it was a bit of a pain to get sorted out, and it really felt like TfL were quite happy to reject every appeal no matter how cast iron the evidence seemed to be to us, until we'd continued to throw so much at them that they finally accepted we weren't going to give in.
And no, the Met Police weren't interested - they deem it a matter between the vehicle owner and whoever has issued the penalty, and would only get involved if the penalty issuer accepted that it was a case of plate cloning and then approached the police themselves, which I have little faith in TfL bothering to have done once they'd finally accepted it was a cloning case, given that despite us making reference to this in the responses sent back to them as part of the ongoing appeals process, they never once referred to it in any of their correspondence to us...
So whilst it all got resolved in the end, and whilst no other penalties ever came through for that car before we sold it about a year later, it was a bit of a pain to get sorted out, and it really felt like TfL were quite happy to reject every appeal no matter how cast iron the evidence seemed to be to us, until we'd continued to throw so much at them that they finally accepted we weren't going to give in.
Red9zero said:
silverfoxcc said:
Go to the local olice station and report it as a clonred plate and ask for a crime/reference number NOW
101 say not a Police matter. One of my cars had its plates cloned about three years ago, tried going to local station but all close ones had closed where I live so called 101 who were very helpful. I got a letter from the police confirming likely cloned and to keep the letter with the car as we'll likely get stopped and checked more often.
QuattroDave said:
The person you spoke to on 101 is wrong, assuming you called to report about the cloned plate not the TFL fine!
One of my cars had its plates cloned about three years ago, tried going to local station but all close ones had closed where I live so called 101 who were very helpful. I got a letter from the police confirming likely cloned and to keep the letter with the car as we'll likely get stopped and checked more often.
My step Father called as it is his car. He told them his reg plate had been cloned and he had a parking fine from TFL. They said it happens a lot and to take it up with TFL. One of my cars had its plates cloned about three years ago, tried going to local station but all close ones had closed where I live so called 101 who were very helpful. I got a letter from the police confirming likely cloned and to keep the letter with the car as we'll likely get stopped and checked more often.
Red9zero said:
QuattroDave said:
The person you spoke to on 101 is wrong, assuming you called to report about the cloned plate not the TFL fine!
One of my cars had its plates cloned about three years ago, tried going to local station but all close ones had closed where I live so called 101 who were very helpful. I got a letter from the police confirming likely cloned and to keep the letter with the car as we'll likely get stopped and checked more often.
My step Father called as it is his car. He told them his reg plate had been cloned and he had a parking fine from TFL. They said it happens a lot and to take it up with TFL. One of my cars had its plates cloned about three years ago, tried going to local station but all close ones had closed where I live so called 101 who were very helpful. I got a letter from the police confirming likely cloned and to keep the letter with the car as we'll likely get stopped and checked more often.
QuattroDave said:
He'll need to call up again and report suspected cloned VRM. They'll then go through some questions at which point he can mentioni the TFL ticket. Though if I were him I'd ask for photographic evidence first just in case it's a misread.
We will be asking for the photo first thing on Monday. If it is the same reg, then we will go back to the Police. Thanks for the advice.QuattroDave said:
Red9zero said:
silverfoxcc said:
Go to the local olice station and report it as a clonred plate and ask for a crime/reference number NOW
101 say not a Police matter. One of my cars had its plates cloned about three years ago, tried going to local station but all close ones had closed where I live so called 101 who were very helpful. I got a letter from the police confirming likely cloned and to keep the letter with the car as we'll likely get stopped and checked more often.
Look to GMP for one example
(well over 80,000 actually )We had a letter last week, about an unpaid ticker in the north with a ‘picture’ of the proof.
That’s all very nice except we live in Kent and the car in the picture as black, but our.is white and a totally different model.
Clearly someone misread the number on the picture, and didn’t check too far when sending out. A quick check on DVLA website using a and adaptation of the number and I found the car in question.
I would suggest your parents freeze the process, by appealing online and then wait until they see the picture/proof, before jumping to other peoples assumptions of plate cloning etc..
That’s all very nice except we live in Kent and the car in the picture as black, but our.is white and a totally different model.
Clearly someone misread the number on the picture, and didn’t check too far when sending out. A quick check on DVLA website using a and adaptation of the number and I found the car in question.
I would suggest your parents freeze the process, by appealing online and then wait until they see the picture/proof, before jumping to other peoples assumptions of plate cloning etc..
Hol said:
We had a letter last week, about an unpaid ticker in the north with a ‘picture’ of the proof.
That’s all very nice except we live in Kent and the car in the picture as black, but our.is white and a totally different model.
Clearly someone misread the number on the picture, and didn’t check too far when sending out. A quick check on DVLA website using a and adaptation of the number and I found the car in question.
I would suggest your parents freeze the process, by appealing online and then wait until they see the picture/proof, before jumping to other peoples assumptions of plate cloning etc..
They are calling TfL in the morning to request a photo so we can check if it is a simple error. After speaking to a helpful 101 operator, they have logged a possible plate cloning, as they said TfL and DVLA would need a ref number from them. Just playing it safe at the moment, as I guess the fines could rack up pretty quickly around London. Hopefully the pic will show it is a double decker bus with a slightly similar number !That’s all very nice except we live in Kent and the car in the picture as black, but our.is white and a totally different model.
Clearly someone misread the number on the picture, and didn’t check too far when sending out. A quick check on DVLA website using a and adaptation of the number and I found the car in question.
I would suggest your parents freeze the process, by appealing online and then wait until they see the picture/proof, before jumping to other peoples assumptions of plate cloning etc..
Red9zero said:
Panic over ! Reg number on the vehicle is the same, but it is a delivery van. TfL operator did a quick DVLA check and is sending my step Father a letter to confirm no further action and she is making a note on their system too.
If the VRM is still the same then your step father will still need to call the police to register that his plate has been cloned. What is unusual is that it's not a near identical car that has the plate as I thought that's how these people usually get away with it.
QuattroDave said:
If the VRM is still the same then your step father will still need to call the police to register that his plate has been cloned.
What is unusual is that it's not a near identical car that has the plate as I thought that's how these people usually get away with it.
He reported it to 101 yesterday and got a log number. I was surprised it was a completely different vehicle, but it made it much easier to dispute.What is unusual is that it's not a near identical car that has the plate as I thought that's how these people usually get away with it.
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