Cloned Number plates
Discussion
So i had my automatic bill from TFL yesterday, and it had 1 charge on it for ULEZ.
Odd i thought as i have not been into London at all in the last month.
Click on the charge, and then detail, and it gives you a picture. And some git in a modern Honda SUV has the number plate of my old 1997 Saab !.
So i log a call with Met Police and they get back to me pretty quick. Not really interested, please contact the DVLA.
So i do just that, and get told by the DVLA i need to send in my findings in writing so they can "Keep it on record".
Thats it...
So the police and DVLA really not all that interested.
Ive taken my car off AutoPay now since i dont really do london driving anymore. So i assume if this continues i will have TFL fines arriving via post.
Anyone else had their car plates cloned ?, if so what was your experience of how it was dealt with.?
Odd i thought as i have not been into London at all in the last month.
Click on the charge, and then detail, and it gives you a picture. And some git in a modern Honda SUV has the number plate of my old 1997 Saab !.
So i log a call with Met Police and they get back to me pretty quick. Not really interested, please contact the DVLA.
So i do just that, and get told by the DVLA i need to send in my findings in writing so they can "Keep it on record".
Thats it...
So the police and DVLA really not all that interested.
Ive taken my car off AutoPay now since i dont really do london driving anymore. So i assume if this continues i will have TFL fines arriving via post.
Anyone else had their car plates cloned ?, if so what was your experience of how it was dealt with.?
I had this not too long ago, my FFRR had its plates cloned by some tit in London. Only found out when I got two PCNs. Reported it to my local plod as well as Met Police, challenged the two PCNs with evidence (both subsequently cancelled) and never heard anything again. Didn't even get a call/email from the cops.
Someone should really have put a marker on the reg on PNC saying it's a potential clone so it sets off ANPR cameras and hopefully get stopped. However, it may result in you getting a few stops as the genuine vehicle, which should really have been explained to you when you reported it.
We’ve had one of our van plates cloned just before Christmas.
It’s been a real hassle for example getting TFL to accept it’s not our van regardless of the fact we have telematics in the van confirming exactly where it was in the world at any time. I’ve proved on each occasion our van has been parked in West Sussex at the time of the photo. What they also fail to grasp is our van is a box Luton, the plate in London has been shown to be on a short wheel base panel van, a long wheel base van and a tipper van (yes, three vehicles!). They also fail to grasp the fact we’ve called the police and we only have a reference number, not a crime number because we’ve not had a crime against us, Barnet Council and TFL have.
We’ve also got two PCNs to deal with and who knows what else is going to drop through the letterbox.
I’m not worried, it will get sorted but I’m owed a lot of money and it’s a PITA we could do without. To be honest I’m happy for Barnet Council or TFL to take further Acton if it goes on, I’ll make them look extremely stupid in court.
Bottom line is we suspect it will stop soon, cloned plates have a lifespan before they become registered on the police database.
It’s been a real hassle for example getting TFL to accept it’s not our van regardless of the fact we have telematics in the van confirming exactly where it was in the world at any time. I’ve proved on each occasion our van has been parked in West Sussex at the time of the photo. What they also fail to grasp is our van is a box Luton, the plate in London has been shown to be on a short wheel base panel van, a long wheel base van and a tipper van (yes, three vehicles!). They also fail to grasp the fact we’ve called the police and we only have a reference number, not a crime number because we’ve not had a crime against us, Barnet Council and TFL have.
We’ve also got two PCNs to deal with and who knows what else is going to drop through the letterbox.
I’m not worried, it will get sorted but I’m owed a lot of money and it’s a PITA we could do without. To be honest I’m happy for Barnet Council or TFL to take further Acton if it goes on, I’ll make them look extremely stupid in court.
Bottom line is we suspect it will stop soon, cloned plates have a lifespan before they become registered on the police database.
andburg said:
Sorry to disappoint you but it’s not cloned it’s a misread
DY12 AVT is a Vauxhall Meriva
Had that, but much more obvious, from Runcorn Bridge.DY12 AVT is a Vauxhall Meriva
Was annoyed by their reply “on this occasion we’ll cancel the charge”, like they were letting me off. They should pay me a penalty charge.
I got pulled over in my Golf GTI in Manchester end of January, having driven up from West Sussex. Apparently there's a known clone of my car driving around Derby area. I got pinged by ANPR within 5 minutes of leaving my hotel car park for the return journey and had a marked up police van appear with blue lights going, which were switched off as they approached me. They then followed me half a mile until I pulled in to fuel up....
They had quite a lot of info - their info indicated mine was the genuine car, as it's got the blue GB markers on the plates, whereas the clone hasn't. They did some checks of my licence and the VIN on the car and sent me on my way, indicating I might get stopped again. Passed several police cars since and not been, so guessing they've updated their records to show mine has been confirmed as the 'real' car.
Luckily no fines in the post - touch wood - but heard nothing and have no details to follow up.
They had quite a lot of info - their info indicated mine was the genuine car, as it's got the blue GB markers on the plates, whereas the clone hasn't. They did some checks of my licence and the VIN on the car and sent me on my way, indicating I might get stopped again. Passed several police cars since and not been, so guessing they've updated their records to show mine has been confirmed as the 'real' car.
Luckily no fines in the post - touch wood - but heard nothing and have no details to follow up.
I had many from Lambeth council for no entry/ bus lanes from my scooter. It seemed to be most days some little s
tbag, probably on a nicked scooter was accruing the tickets.
I had to appeal every single one as their systems didn't allow the plate etc to be linked, apart from the fact I live 250 miles away.
in the end, I put a personal plate on my scooter, so they stopped sending them. I sold the scooter on with the original plates to someone I know, and they've never had anything since, so I'm assuming the stbag got caught somehow?
It was just an absolute ballache having to deal with every single one. I still have the mountain of paperwork in the house somewhere.
tbag, probably on a nicked scooter was accruing the tickets.I had to appeal every single one as their systems didn't allow the plate etc to be linked, apart from the fact I live 250 miles away.
in the end, I put a personal plate on my scooter, so they stopped sending them. I sold the scooter on with the original plates to someone I know, and they've never had anything since, so I'm assuming the s
tbag got caught somehow?It was just an absolute ballache having to deal with every single one. I still have the mountain of paperwork in the house somewhere.
This happened to me yesterday.
I dropped my car with a garage 15 miles away from my home on the 27th of Feb. I pick up their loan car, drive it straight home and leave it on my driveway overnight and drive it straight back the next morning to drop off and collect my car.
The garage calls me yesterday to say, bad news, I have fines to pay on the loan car. One for not paying in a car park in Richmond and the other for not paying the ULEZ charge. Thing is, I never went near London with the car. I drove it straight home and back the next day.
Luckily the garage just said don't worry about it but still. I hope nothing more comes of it but I'm more than happy to go to court if anything does.
I dropped my car with a garage 15 miles away from my home on the 27th of Feb. I pick up their loan car, drive it straight home and leave it on my driveway overnight and drive it straight back the next morning to drop off and collect my car.
The garage calls me yesterday to say, bad news, I have fines to pay on the loan car. One for not paying in a car park in Richmond and the other for not paying the ULEZ charge. Thing is, I never went near London with the car. I drove it straight home and back the next day.
Luckily the garage just said don't worry about it but still. I hope nothing more comes of it but I'm more than happy to go to court if anything does.
Rob_R said:
This happened to me yesterday.
I dropped my car with a garage 15 miles away from my home on the 27th of Feb. I pick up their loan car, drive it straight home and leave it on my driveway overnight and drive it straight back the next morning to drop off and collect my car.
The garage calls me yesterday to say, bad news, I have fines to pay on the loan car. One for not paying in a car park in Richmond and the other for not paying the ULEZ charge. Thing is, I never went near London with the car. I drove it straight home and back the next day.
Luckily the garage just said don't worry about it but still. I hope nothing more comes of it but I'm more than happy to go to court if anything does.
What sort of shed of a courtesy car did they give you for it not to be ULEZ compliant?I dropped my car with a garage 15 miles away from my home on the 27th of Feb. I pick up their loan car, drive it straight home and leave it on my driveway overnight and drive it straight back the next morning to drop off and collect my car.
The garage calls me yesterday to say, bad news, I have fines to pay on the loan car. One for not paying in a car park in Richmond and the other for not paying the ULEZ charge. Thing is, I never went near London with the car. I drove it straight home and back the next day.
Luckily the garage just said don't worry about it but still. I hope nothing more comes of it but I'm more than happy to go to court if anything does.
martinbiz said:
What sort of shed of a courtesy car did they give you for it not to be ULEZ compliant?
Wow. I’ve used a couple of Mercedes specialists in Suffolk who use a few older (ie better/reliable) Mercs as courtesy cars. Nothing wrong with that at all, especially when one was a 1989 500 SE!martinbiz said:
Rob_R said:
This happened to me yesterday.
I dropped my car with a garage 15 miles away from my home on the 27th of Feb. I pick up their loan car, drive it straight home and leave it on my driveway overnight and drive it straight back the next morning to drop off and collect my car.
The garage calls me yesterday to say, bad news, I have fines to pay on the loan car. One for not paying in a car park in Richmond and the other for not paying the ULEZ charge. Thing is, I never went near London with the car. I drove it straight home and back the next day.
Luckily the garage just said don't worry about it but still. I hope nothing more comes of it but I'm more than happy to go to court if anything does.
What sort of shed of a courtesy car did they give you for it not to be ULEZ compliant?I dropped my car with a garage 15 miles away from my home on the 27th of Feb. I pick up their loan car, drive it straight home and leave it on my driveway overnight and drive it straight back the next morning to drop off and collect my car.
The garage calls me yesterday to say, bad news, I have fines to pay on the loan car. One for not paying in a car park in Richmond and the other for not paying the ULEZ charge. Thing is, I never went near London with the car. I drove it straight home and back the next day.
Luckily the garage just said don't worry about it but still. I hope nothing more comes of it but I'm more than happy to go to court if anything does.
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