Car number plate cloned!

wijcc

wijcc

wijcc

Soldato
Joined
10 Aug 2003
Posts
2,696
Location
London
I have received a PCN from Lewisham Council NSL in the post today. I did not drive my car that day and have not been to Lewisham in years and I very rarely drive my car and not on a working day (Mon to Fri). Unfortunately I was working from home the day the PCN was issued so I can't prove I was working via CCTV from my workplace.
I logged onto their website and checked the pics, it is another car similiar to mine (another ford focus) with my number plate - my car registration has been cloned! What do I need to do to get this PCN cancelled. I will take some pics of my car, which has different style number plates, slightly different colour (different share of Silver), different alloy wheels from the car with the plates and the cloned car has on the back "zetec" written on and mine has "titanium" a different trim level focus. When I submit the challenge to the PCN I will use these pics as proof that it was not my car that parked illegally.

Also what else do I need to do, inform the police on 101 and I need to contact the DVLA too, is there anything else that I need to do?

Thanks in advance
 
Once you have the crime number you don't need to hand over evidence to the parking company. Just say it's a cloned plate and give them the reference.
 
wijcc said:
I have received a PCN from Lewisham Council NSL in the post today. I did not drive my car that day and have not been to Lewisham in years and I very rarely drive my car and not on a working day (Mon to Fri). Unfortunately I was working from home the day the PCN was issued so I can't prove I was working via CCTV from my workplace.
I logged onto their website and checked the pics, it is another car similiar to mine (another ford focus) with my number plate - my car registration has been cloned! What do I need to do to get this PCN cancelled. I will take some pics of my car, which has different style number plates, slightly different colour (different share of Silver), different alloy wheels from the car with the plates and the cloned car has on the back "zetec" written on and mine has "titanium" a different trim level focus. When I submit the challenge to the PCN I will use these pics as proof that it was not my car that parked illegally.

Also what else do I need to do, inform the police on 101 and I need to contact the DVLA too, is there anything else that I need to do?

Thanks in advance
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You're lucky you got a decent photo!

My other half's Fiesta was cloned and she received 3 NIPs for speeding (no photos, police refused to provide them), and a parking fine with a grainy black and white photo in the dark which basically showed the number plate and a vaguely car shaped blob.

We managed to get them cancelled, but only by adding an additional option to the NIP response form (there is no option for "this wasn't my car and I have no idea who was driving it"), pointing out that the car was a completely different shape and colour to the one displayed in the non-existent photo and providing photos from CCTV of the car on the drive at the time of the incident. They also wanted physical photos of the car sent to them (a bit difficult since the car had been sold by the time they asked for them) so I had to point out that while I was happy to provide digital copies of photos from the sale advert, if they wanted physical copies posted they'd have to cover my expenses to have them printed and for postage.

It would have been so much easier if they'd actually provided the photos of the vehicle speeding, but I guess they rely on people just giving up with no evidence.

The parking charge was amusing. We put in an appeal on the grounds it wasn't our vehicle, and so couldn't name either the driver or registered keeper, to which their reply was they could no longer discuss the matter with us due to data protection, and needed written authority from the driver or registered keeper to appeal on their behalf.

After sending them an invoice for £250 to cover my consultancy fees for assistance in tracking down the driver or registered keeper in order to get this written authority, we strangely received a response saying the charge had been cancelled. :cry:

They didn't pay the £250 :(
 
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nope, it was time stamped at 5:37 pm.. so probably logged off by then
Quartz said:
Did you send an email or anything at around the time of the photo?
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Going to wait till the weekend when it will be not raining hopefully so I can take some good clear pics to point out the difference.
On the call to the police on 101, I did not go into detail how the car which has the cloned plates is slightly different to mine and the operator did not ask or go into more depth. Should I update report online or on another call, pointing out the main differences between my car and the cloned one?

It says online that you should also notify the DVLA.. but the DVLA are unable to accept this notification by webchat, phone or email. and require you to write to them - which is a bit outdated in this day and age.
 
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No I have, I brought the car in Dec 2019.. off autotrader so there were pics of it online previously.
I have not put pics up of it online personally and if I were to I would remove the car reg by erasing it in the pic
 
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One of my cars was cloned recently. I purchased it in April off FB marketplace (so it had been advertised online with the number plate showing), and a month later I received a NIP through the post from Thames Valley Police saying the vehicle had been caught going 36 in a 30 in High Wycombe.
I’ve never been near high Wycombe in my life and at the time and date of the alleged offence my car was parked outside my home.
Unfortunately I didn’t have any evidence that my car was outside my home at the time though.

This is what I did.

1) I popped into my local police station and reported that I believed my vehicles registration had been cloned and explained what had happened and they gave my a reference number.

2) I contacted the Thames valley police traffic department via online form and informed them that I believed my vehicles registration had been cloned and gave them all the details and the reference number West Midlands police had given me.

3) I paid £80 to DVLA online to retain the registration of my car so they would issue me a new registration instantly for free so I dont receive any more fines through the post for offences I’m not responsible for. (You can then claim the £80 back from DVLA if you don’t wish to keep the registration you retained, which I did).

A week later Thames valley police emailed me back asking for pictures of my vehicle, front, back, close up of number plates etc.

I emailed them the photos and a few days later I received a letter in the post from them saying they were cancelling the NIP as they are satisfied it wasn’t my vehicle involved in the traffic offence.
 
Spartacus said:
(snip)

3) I paid £80 to DVLA online to retain the registration of my car so they would issue me a new registration instantly for free so I dont receive any more fines through the post for offences I’m not responsible for. (You can then claim the £80 back from DVLA if you don’t wish to keep the registration you retained, which I did).

(snip)
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If you don't mind me asking, how does that bit work exactly? I've bought a private reg whereby i paid the fee for the reg and then £80 for the retention of it. Are you saying you can give up your current reg for £80 and get a new 1 for free, then reclaim the £80 on the reg you gave up and keep the new one (so in effect get a new reg for free)? That is good thinking on your behalf (to protect yourself from further unwarranted fines etc).
 
tyke_ said:
If you don't mind me asking, how does that bit work exactly? I've bought a private reg whereby i paid the fee for the reg and then £80 for the retention of it. Are you saying you can give up your current reg for £80 and get a new 1 for free, then reclaim the £80 on the reg you gave up and keep the new one (so in effect get a new reg for free)? That is good thinking on your behalf (to protect yourself from further unwarranted fines etc).
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That’s exactly right.

You fill in the form online to put your current registration on retention and pay the £80 fee, but because your car needs to have a registration attached to it they have to issue it a new one which they do instantly and email you a pdf of the certificate you need so you can get the new plates made up. Once you receive the documentation through the post for the old registration you retained you just tick the box saying you don’t wish to keep it and send it back to DVLA. A few weeks later you get a cheque in the post for £80. It’s a way to get a new registration from DVLA for free if you need one.

It only cost me the £24 to get the new plates made up and they were on my car the day after I received the NIP through the post. Luckily my insurance didn’t charge me an admin fee for updating the registration of the car with them through their online app.
 
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I don't think I will be doing that (changing my number plate), i have residents parking which is linked to my existing car reg, pretty sure my insurance will charge me for changing the reg as well

With regards to challenging the ticket, with Lewisham NSL I have the following options:
The contravention did not occur
I was not the owner of the vehicle at the time the contravention occurred
The vehicle had been taken without the keepers consent (i.e. it was stolen)
We are a hire firm and will provide details of the hirer
The PCN exceeded the amount applicable
The PCN has been paid
The Traffic Management Order is invalid
The CEO was not prevented from serving the PCN
There has been a procedural impropriety on the part of the enforcement authority
I wish to make representations about this PCN for other reasons

Which is the best option to pick "I was not the owner of the vehicle at the time the contravention occurred", "The contravention did not occur" or "I wish to make representations about this PCN for other reasons"?

Thanks all
 
wijcc said:
I don't think I will be doing that (changing my number plate), i have residents parking which is linked to my existing car reg, pretty sure my insurance will charge me for changing the reg as well

With regards to challenging the ticket, with Lewisham NSL I have the following options:
The contravention did not occur
I was not the owner of the vehicle at the time the contravention occurred
The vehicle had been taken without the keepers consent (i.e. it was stolen)
We are a hire firm and will provide details of the hirer
The PCN exceeded the amount applicable
The PCN has been paid
The Traffic Management Order is invalid
The CEO was not prevented from serving the PCN
There has been a procedural impropriety on the part of the enforcement authority
I wish to make representations about this PCN for other reasons

Which is the best option to pick "I was not the owner of the vehicle at the time the contravention occurred", "The contravention did not occur" or "I wish to make representations about this PCN for other reasons"?

Thanks all
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Other reasons and send a cover letter back with it.

Regarding changing your plate. The main risk with not changing it is that the cloned vehicle could be involved in something much more serious in the coming days/weeks. It could be used for a serious crime, or you could get NIP’s for multiple traffic offences which you will then have the headache of having to prove it wasn’t your car. You have to weigh up if the inconvenience of changing it outweighs the risk of getting a lot more nasty surprises through the post.
One more thing to consider is that once you have reported the cloning of your registration there will likely be a marker put on that registration which could also cause you the inconvenience of being regularly pulled over by the police.
 
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wijcc said:
I have received a PCN from Lewisham Council NSL in the post today. I did not drive my car that day and have not been to Lewisham in years and I very rarely drive my car and not on a working day (Mon to Fri). Unfortunately I was working from home the day the PCN was issued so I can't prove I was working via CCTV from my workplace.
I logged onto their website and checked the pics, it is another car similiar to mine (another ford focus) with my number plate - my car registration has been cloned! What do I need to do to get this PCN cancelled. I will take some pics of my car, which has different style number plates, slightly different colour (different share of Silver), different alloy wheels from the car with the plates and the cloned car has on the back "zetec" written on and mine has "titanium" a different trim level focus. When I submit the challenge to the PCN I will use these pics as proof that it was not my car that parked illegally.

Also what else do I need to do, inform the police on 101 and I need to contact the DVLA too, is there anything else that I need to do?

Thanks in advance
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things may have changed as am going back a while now but it happened to my parents they just replied back saying not us, not our car , it must have been cloned and it was dropped.
the funny thing was... they nearly paid up! they were on holiday at the time and I was at home looking after their dog for the week. they just assumed I was guilty and we're going to pay up on my behalf . luckily I spoke to them and told them it wasn't me. (I also mentioned that whilst I appreciated the sentiment I was a grown man and could take responsibility rather than them considering breaking the law)
 
I had a PCN recently due to my wife turning around near the entrance to a train station car park on two consecutive days. The car park camera took the front of our car on the first day and the rear on the second, assuming we had been parked inside for a day without a ticket. My Ring doorbell paid for itself that day as I was able to prove my car was parked in my driveway throughout the day.
 
Ha, sometimes I am lucky if I can park on my street let alone outside my house!. I unfortunately do not have the luxury of a driveaway or an assigned parking spot.
 
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