Help: Stolen number plates

[nick]

Just saw out of my window some scrote by may car. He got into his car and sped off. Went out to see my number plates have been stolen

Question - what actions do I need to take?

1. Have done on line Met police report and got a crime number
2. About to do insurance claim/notification
3. Then off to Halfords to get new plates (need to drive somewhere this afternoon)

Anything else? Can I preempt the inevitable torrent of parking fines and speeding tickets that are doubtless coming my way at some point?

 

[Silas Loom]

When you get your new plates, ensure they have a distinctive flag of some sort so that you can prove that yours are not the ones captured by speed cameras by submitting photos of your car.

 

[danny la rouge]

Tell DVLA your plates have been stolen and may be cloned.

GOV.UK - DVLA Webchat

contact.dvla.gov.uk

 

[nick]

When you get your new plates, ensure they have a distinctive flag of some sort so that you can prove that yours are not the ones captured by speed cameras by submitting photos of your car.

good call - just need to see if I have a photo to see what the old ones looked like (who remembers these things?)

 

[keybored]

Get new plates today, then literally fill yer boot with a ram raid tonight. You have plausible deniability now.

 

[nogojones]

When you get your new plates, ensure they have a distinctive flag of some sort so that you can prove that yours are not the ones captured by speed cameras by submitting photos of your car.

Get two sets as well. One with a distinctive flag, that you keep in the shed until you need to prove it wasn't you parking wherever you like, and the plain ones that you put on the car to give you invincibility.

 

[Silas Loom]

You might also want to start a thread in the criminal justice forum to ask the likes of MickiQ and Spymaster how the miscreant should be punished. They will have all sorts of suggestions involving hot irons and suchlike, which will initially make you feel supported in your rage, but eventually will seem so silly that you are able to forgive the thief and move on.

 

[mx wcfc]

You will need to take the V5 to Halfords.

 

[nick]

Tell DVLA your plates have been stolen and may be cloned.

GOV.UK - DVLA Webchat

contact.dvla.gov.uk

PSA - DVLA chat is useless:

In a few short words, how can I help?

My number plates were just stolen (presumably as someone wants to create a "clone".

If you suspect your vehicle has been cloned, the following points will help you avoid becoming a victim of further crime.Cloning involves copying the identity of a similar vehicle already on the road.What you need to do:- Return any fines/correspondence to the issuing authorities and provide them with any evidence to prove your case. - Contact the police, in order for them to trace and prosecute the culprit. - Write to DVLA explaining the situation

Please write toVLA Swansea SA99 1ZZWe will record your correspondence on the vehicle record for future reference.

We are unable to accept this notification by webchat, phone or email.You will receive a response within 6 weeks. In some cases, this can take longer if we need to make further checks or if your application needs to be passed to another department.

Has this answered your enquiry? Please click one of the following options:

 

[nick]

You will need to take the V5 to Halfords.

Yep - and driving licence they say

 

[Indeliblelink]

There was an article in The Guardian about car number plate cloning the other day. Might have some useful advice.

Car cloning: innocent UK motorists get fines as scams accelerate

If a criminal breaks the law in a car with the same number plates as yours, you could be treated as liable

www.theguardian.com

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Was it a personal plate with your name on it? If so they were only following instructions...

 

[BassJunkie]

This happened to me once. I told the Police and was relieved to hear nothing of it.

Seriously though, take documents to get new ones. A few years ago I bought a car and we drove down to Devon in it. While there the back plate fell off. Despite retracing our steps we couldn't find it.

I had 250 miles to drive home with no back plate. I stopped at the first Halfords to buy a replacement, but, of course didn't have the V5 with me, we were on holiday.

As a result drove all the way home with no rear plate. I felt like a criminal who could speed past speed cameras with impunity. On filling with petrol half way home a Police car pulled in. They didn't bother me though.

The experience did make me wonder how long one get away with it. ANPR wouldn't help identification lol.

 

[BassJunkie]

 

[nick]

View attachment 413332

 

[nick]

So Halford’s in Brixton are seriously understaffed and chaotic.
However - once I got some one to recognise me, they were great guys: very helpful and had a good chat

Managed to get new plates in time for our trip to Dungeness last night

 

[Sasaferrato]

.

 

[cupid_stunt]

So Halford’s in Brixton are seriously understaffed and chaotic.
However - once I got some one to recognise me, they were great guys: very helpful and had a good chat

Managed to get new plates in time for our trip to Dungeness last night

Remember to take your V5 when you go to get new plates.

Try to keep up, granddad!

 

[Sasaferrato]

 

[bellaozzydog]

View attachment 413332

Vroom vroom

 

[Ax^]

id report it for sure

had someone trying to nick mine a few weeks ago ..
and my car is nothing special must of been to get around ulez as quite a few similar coloured cars of the model around

 

[nick]

and to round it off
Car insurance called to say they have logged it (in case offences against the clone etc ) and that I do not need to declare it as a “thing” for future premiums. / quotes etc, as there was no damage to the vehicle. win

Meanwhile I continue to get “do not reply” emails from the met asking about victim support requirements etc - guess I could tell them I got all the support I needed from the baby eating anarchists.

In a serious note - I found that once I had submitted the report on the met website - I can’t actually get a copy of what I wrote (could be user error) for my records - so if you are ever doing a crime report, maybe screenshot it as you go

 

[MickiQ]

You might also want to start a thread in the criminal justice forum to ask the likes of MickiQ and Spymaster how the miscreant should be punished. They will have all sorts of suggestions involving hot irons and suchlike, which will initially make you feel supported in your rage, but eventually will seem so silly that you are able to forgive the thief and move on.

Having had my number plates cloned (as opposed to stolen) I favour the miscreants being dragged from their vehicles and being beaten to death using the fake number plates.

From practical experience.

1. Tell the police
2. Tell your insurance
3. Tell the DVLA

DO NOT take any PCN's such as driving in bus lanes (a particular favourite of the wanker who cloned mine), illegal parking etc lightly. Challenge any of them the instant they appear. I had half a dozen and whilst it didn't cost me any money (other than a bit of postage) it was a fair amount of effort challenging them all. Keep all correspondence and be ready for the fact that they will not believe you easily. It was helpful for me that since I live in the Midlands and the cloner obviously lived in London making it easier to prove it was not me. Once you have new number plates contact the police again, they stuck an ANPR readable sticker on my number plates to prove that mine was the genuine car.

 

[weltweit]

Good advice I think to tell people and keep a record, the scrotes will do silly things ..

On a slightly related ..

When I bought my new to me Yamaha 250 I rode to Yeovil and did some shopping. When I returned I found someone with exactly the same Yamaha had parked next to me. They were both mettalic blue with the same trim, and to my disgust my ignition key fitted them both.

The only thing that was different was the numberplate and as I had no clue what mine was I just had to settle down with a cappuchino and wait. Sure enough after a while a chap arrived hopped on one of them started it up and rode away.

 

[Ax^]

hmm did you ever check if you had the right bike

 

[weltweit]

hmm did you ever check if you had the right bike

Not really

 

[nick]

And we're off.
First PCN just plopped through the letter box.
Incurred at 12:58 on the day of the original post: about 45 minutes after the theft and 12 minutes after the time stamp on the receipt for the MET of the crime report.


Should be easy enough to challenge as it a different model car

 

[Silas Loom]

Should be easy enough to challenge as it a different model car

We may have been overestimating this criminal mastermind somewhat.

 

[nick]

We may have been overestimating this criminal mastermind somewhat.

Judging by the turnaround, at least he was bright enough to have some sticky already with with him to be able to attach the plates

 

[MickiQ]

And we're off.
First PCN just plopped through the letter box.
Incurred at 12:58 on the day of the original post: about 45 minutes after the theft and 12 minutes after the time stamp on the receipt for the MET of the crime report.


Should be easy enough to challenge as it a different model car

That's quick when my number plates were cloned there was always about a 2 week delay between the shitbag committing his sins and me getting a PCN. The fact your miscreant has put it on a different car should make it a lot easier. My problem was grey Audi's are not exactly rare. They just suddenly stopped appearing after a few months and I have no idea whether that was because he had moved onto some other victim or Plod had caught him.
What was the PCN for?