AN EPIDEMIC of car cloning is costing innocent drivers thousands of pounds in fines and parking tickets claims battles.
Criminals are copying genuine number plates from legitimate cars to use on others of the same make, model and colour to avoid automated number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras.
The first the owner of a genuine car knows about their vehicle being cloned is often when they receive a fine or summons through the post.
It can cost drivers as much as £2000 to contest these fines and prove they are innocent. Many of these offences are being committed by organised gangs to commit serious crime and avoid detection.
However, drivers are being warned that more petty criminals are now using car cloning to dodge ANPR cameras used for low emissions zone charges like the one introduced in Glasgow at the end of 2018. Many low-level criminals are using this scam to drive into these areas to commit further offences.
The rising costs of driving has increased the number of cars cloned and Barry Shorto, head of industry relations at car history check company HPI, said: “Cloning primarily takes place to disguise the identity of a stolen car that is sold on to an unsuspecting victim usually for fast cash.
“However, we’re increasingly seeing petty criminals cloning cars to avoid speeding tickets, parking fines and congestion charges.”
The problems for innocent drivers don’t end with fines and charges that they are not responsible for.
Mr Shorto added: “Cloning creates trouble for owners or registered keepers and it affects buyers who honestly purchase a cloned vehicle. Not only do they lose the car but also their own money when it’s returned to the registered keeper by the police.”
Anyone buying a used car is advised to carry out a thorough history check on the vehicle and check the registration, engine and chassis numbers all match those on the car’s documents and those recorded with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
Car buyers are also urged not to pay in cash but use a bank transfer or bank card that offer greater protection in the event of the car being cloned.
A spokesman for Police Scotland said: “It’s not just high-value cars that are at risk of car cloning and criminals will clone cars at the other end of the country, so Scottish drivers are at just as much risk as those in other parts of the UK.
“Always carry out checks when buying a car and if the price seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
