If you believe your car has been cloned, the first thing you need to do is contact the police. They will investigate, and give you a crime number.
How do police spot a cloned car?
Check the V5C logbook, and make sure that the vehicle’s number plate matches that on the car. Also check the VIN number on the logbook matches the VIN number stamped on the car. Check as many locations as possible. Typical locations are under the bonnet, below the windscreen and on the driver’s door sill.
What happens if your car gets cloned?
It’s like identity theft but for cars. It means that any crimes and offences committed using the cloned car will lead back to the owner of the car with the legally registered licence plate and mask the identity of the true criminal. Criminals might use the car to avoid speeding fines and parking tickets.
How do I prove my car has been cloned?
Cloned Number Plates – Gather Evidence
If your plates have been cloned you need to gather evidence that proves your vehicle was somewhere else other than the location where the offence occurred. CCTV is extremely common. You have the right to request CCTV that can help prove your vehicle was somewhere else.
Who do I contact if my car has been cloned? – Related Questions
Can someone steal my car if they have my VIN?
You know, anybody can walk past your car and copy down the VIN number because it’s right there in the windshield. Once they’ve copied your VIN number, they can apply for duplicate papers, and those papers can be used on another car that has been stolen or may have been reconstructed. How can you prevent it?
What is the Offence for cloned plates?
Riding a bike or driving a car with a stolen or cloned number plate is fraud, and could lead to anything from a community order to a substantial fine and a prison sentence. Disqualification from riding or driving, as well as having your vehicle seized are additional possibilities.
How do I know if my VIN is cloned?
Look for incorrect spellings on paperwork, like vehicle titles. If you think your car was cloned (for instance, you receive notice of unpaid parking tickets that aren’t yours), contact your local police. Trust your intuition; if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
How do I report a cloned plate to the DVLA?
It helps you provide documented evidence for future fines and criminal activities registered on your cloned number plate. You need to contact the DVLA informing someone has duplicated your number plate. You can get help from the DVLA leaflet in f104.
Can two cars have the same VIN number?
The VIN serves as the car’s fingerprint, as no two vehicles in operation have the same VIN. A VIN is composed of 17 characters (digits and capital letters) that act as a unique identifier for the vehicle. A VIN displays the car’s unique features, specifications and manufacturer.
How do criminals clone number plates?
Number plate cloning, also known as car cloning or vehicle identity theft, is when someone copies a car’s registration number and assigns it to another car. Criminals often choose a vehicle with a ‘clean history’ – without any prior tickets or fines on their licence – to replicate on their car.
Why do cars get cloned?
Cloning is done either to mask the true identity of a stolen vehicle or, more basically, to avoid parking tickets, speeding fines, congestion charges and the like – the ‘ticket’ would be sent to the keeper of the vehicle from which the identity was stolen.
Why do people clone number plates?
Cloning a vehicle is when a criminal copies the identity of another vehicle by stealing or duplicating their registration plates. Often criminals will then use the cloned vehicle to carry out further crime or avoid speeding or parking fines.
What does it mean when a car is a clone?
A clone is when you take a standard, base model car and add options and equipment to make it into a copy of a rare, original muscle cars using the same options such as trim, decals, hood scoops, and motor that the higher optioned cars had originally from the factory.
What do you do if you buy a cloned car?
You should also contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to let them know your car has been cloned; the DVLA can issue you with a new registration for your car if you ask them to do this.
What to do if you get a speeding ticket on a cloned plate?
If you do receive such a fine you should contact the police or parking authority to let them know you suspect your number plates have been cloned, gathering any evidence that may help prove you were not the one responsible.
How can I avoid number plate cloning?
How to avoid buying a clone
- Always view the car at the address on the V5C and don’t buy it from a lay-by or pub car park.
- Check all the VINs.
- Run history checks; this will flag up any write-offs being cloned, plus any other red flags.
- Check the car is actually what’s described – often it’s not a perfect match.
What can someone do with my number plate?
And you can discover a lot from a number plate. How? There are both legal and illegal ways to discover a person’s name, address and more. This information can be accessed online if you enter the car registration on a certain website, or through paid services.
How many number plates are cloned UK?
As a result, there are an estimated 90,000 cloned vehicles on our roads. One of our customers, Mr Jones (real name withheld for security), came to us as a victim of cloning, keen to change his registration number.
How do people clone cars?
How does car cloning work? A criminal can clone a car simply by changing the number plate. Once they have done this, there will be two cars on the road with the same registration number – one that is legally registered and one that is not.
How can you tell if a VIN number has been tampered with?
The best way to figure out if the vehicle identification number has been tampered with for sure is to speak with the department of motor vehicles. The DMV in your town will know if the VIN for the car is appropriately matched.