Car cloning is when criminals fit copies of your registration to a similar-looking car. Every speeding ticket, parking charge and toll they rack up is sent to you. It’s stressful, but it’s fixable – and there’s a lot you can do to prevent it.
In this guide
How cloning works
Criminals look for a car that matches theirs in make, model and colour, then copy its registration. Historically they’d buy plates from sellers who didn’t check documents. That’s exactly why registered suppliers must now see ID and proof of entitlement, and why online marketplaces that skipped those checks have been forced to stop selling plates. See documents needed for number plates.
Some criminals also steal plates directly from parked cars.
Warning signs
- Fines or charges for places you’ve never been
- Letters about a congestion, toll or clean-air zone you didn’t drive through
- Parking tickets on a day your car was at home
- Police contact about an incident involving your registration
- Your plates missing or replaced with different ones
What to do if your plates are cloned
- Report it to the police and get a crime reference number. Use 101 or your force’s online form.
- Tell the DVLA in writing, including the crime reference number and copies of the fines.
- Challenge each fine with the issuing authority. Send evidence your car was elsewhere: photos with timestamps, fuel receipts, dashcam footage, work rotas.
- Point out differences between the cloned car and yours – wheels, roof bars, stickers, damage. Ask to see the camera image.
- Tell your insurer, especially if the cloned car has been in an accident.
- Replace your plates if they were stolen, and ask the DVLA about issuing a new registration if cloning continues.
How to prevent cloning
- Buy plates only from registered suppliers that check your documents.
- Fit anti-theft screws or one-way screws so plates can’t be removed quickly.
- Use high-strength pads plus screws – plates fitted on both are much harder to remove.
- Don’t post clear photos of your registration online, especially next to your home.
- Check your plates regularly – especially after parking in public.
- Keep dashcam footage – it’s excellent evidence if you need to prove where you were.
- Run a fleet? Vans are a favourite target – see number plates for business fleets.
If your plates were stolen
Treat it as possible cloning. Report the theft to police straight away, then order replacements with your documents – read stolen, lost or damaged number plates.
Frequently asked questions
Will I have to pay fines from a cloned car?
No, once you prove the car wasn’t yours. Report the cloning, get a crime reference number and challenge each fine with evidence.
Can the DVLA give me a new registration?
In persistent cases the DVLA can consider issuing a new registration. Contact them with your police reference and evidence.
Do anti-theft screws make plates illegal?
No. Security screws are fine as long as the heads don’t alter how any character looks.
How do criminals get copies of my plates?
Usually from unregistered sellers who don’t check documents, or by stealing plates from cars.
