Criminals clone number plates to fix to vehicles that look similar. Photograph: Anthony Smith/AlamyCriminals clone number plates to fix to vehicles that look similar. Photograph: Anthony Smith/AlamyI got £8,500 in Ulez fines after my car number plate was clonedI’ve received 77 unpaid PCNs from TfL but it won’t accept they weren’t from my vehicle
Someone cloned my car number plate back in October and racked up £8,500 in Ulez fines. I appealed, but this was rejected.
Unfortunately, the cloned car is the same make, model and colour as mine. I’ve now received 17 “order for recovery of unpaid penalty charge” notices from Transport for London (TfL). The bailiffs will arrive next week, according to their letters.
I’ve never driven my car in London, and can’t afford these fines.
RJ, Maidenhead
TfL fined me for driving in the ULEZ – has someone cloned my car plates?Read moreCar number plate cloning rose by 9% last year, according to the DVLA.
Criminals steal, or copy, registration plates to fix to vehicles that look similar. This allows them to evade parking and speeding penalties, as well as clean air zone fines.
The cloning of your car coincided with a serious bike accident that required surgeries and meant you were unable to appeal against all the fines in time. TfL cancelled the penalties as soon as I provided evidence that you did not own the offending vehicle.
It says: “We would encourage all drivers who believe they have received penalty charge notices (PCNs), as a result of their vehicle being cloned, to get in touch with us as soon as possible, with all the available evidence, to prevent charges escalating.”
Acceptable evidence includes photos, or witness affidavits, proving your car was somewhere else at the time the fine was triggered, evidence of discrepancies between the legitimate and the cloned vehicles, and a police crime reference.
We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at [email protected] or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number. Submission and publication of all letters is subject to our terms and conditions.
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