Report vehicle cloning
Vehicle cloning involves criminals copying another vehicle’s registration plates, often choosing plates from a vehicle that looks like theirs.
The scam can result in the driver of the cloned vehicle accumulating fines while the innocent owner of the original vehicle receives the financial penalties.
Victims usually do not realise their vehicles have been cloned until fines start arriving in the post, typically for speeding tickets, parking fines, bus-gate or bus-lane penalties, or congestion charges.
You may suspect your vehicle has been cloned if you receive an unexpected:
- Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) from a council relating to a parking, bus lane or bus gate fine
- Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) from the police for speeding or another road-related offence
- letter or PCN from a private parking enforcement company
Evidence required
To report vehicle cloning, we will need a copy of this unexpected letter, PCN or NIP.
We will also need evidence that proves your vehicle has been cloned, which could include:
- Photographic evidence clearly showing the vehicle on the PCN or fine is different from yours. For example, it is a different make, model, or colour, or it has distinctive modifications, such as spoilers or stickers.
- Evidence proving your vehicle was not at the location at the time of the alleged offence. For example, a timed and dated still image from a doorbell camera that clearly shows your vehicle and its number plate on your drive at the time of the alleged offence.
If the evidence provided is not significant, your report will not be progressed.
We can only accept reports of vehicle cloning where the evidence shows the cloned vehicle is located in the Avon and Somerset force area. You can use Police.uk’s find a police force service to check which force is responsible for a particular location.
Report vehicle cloning
If you have evidence your vehicle’s number plate has been cloned, you can report it:
- online – fill in the report vehicle cloning form
- in person – visit a police station
Be aware…
A marker will be added to your number plate
After you report vehicle cloning and upload your evidence to us, we will update the Police National Database to show the vehicle registration has potentially been cloned.
A marker will be added to your registration number. This means you can be stopped at anytime anywhere in the UK until we are confident the cloned vehicle is off the road.
Cloned vehicles are only ever used for criminality. As such, officers will not know which vehicle they are stopping until they have completed thorough checks, so be patient when you are stopped.
Fraudulent claims
If it is subsequently discovered that a fraudulent claim of cloning has been made, you may be subject to police action which might include charges of perverting the course of justice