Car cloning explained: how to make sure you don’t get stung

Worried your car might have been cloned, or curious what car cloning is and how you can prevent it? We have the answers

Car cloning is a big issue for car owners and buyers alike, but what is car cloning and how can you prevent it? Mat Watson and team investigate.

You may think of it as a compliment if someone copies your dress sense or artwork, but when it comes to cars imitation is certainly not a form of flattery, it can in fact be a total nightmare.

Car cloning is a crime in which unscrupulous individuals will copy your car’s identity and put it on another similar car, with nefarious purposes in mind.

You can fall victim to car cloning whether you’re a car owner or buyer, but either way you could wind up facing financial difficulties, bureaucratic woes and even trouble with the law – all through no fault of your own.

Carwow’s Mat Watson has been investigating car cloning, going into what it is, how it’s done and why criminals do it, as well as how to avoid getting stung.

What is car cloning?

Cars are mainly identified by their number plates, which have a registration number which links that car to an individual and an address – effectively telling the police who is responsible for the vehicle.

A vehicle will also have a VIN (vehicle identification number) etched or stamped into the body in various locations which is totally unique to that car. Cloning a car is when criminals duplicate these numbers and apply them to a different car.

Simon Williams, Head of Policy at the RAC, told Carwow: “A cloned car is essentially a car which has had its identity stolen or copied. It can simply be stealing a number plate, but more often than not it’s actually copying the identity of a car.

Criminals clone cars for a number of different reasons. It can be to hide the fact that a car has a dodgy history, for example if it’s been crashed or stolen. They can sell the car on for a huge profit by giving it the identity of a clean car, scamming innocent buyers out of thousands of pounds.

Or sometimes a car may be cloned to get out of fines or tickets. Let’s say someone takes your number plate and sticks it on their car, then sets off a speed camera. That ticket will come winging its way to your door.

How does car cloning work?

There are a few different ways to clone a car, but the most common sees criminals browsing the classifieds for an identical make and model of car to the one they want to clone, then having a set of number plates made up. These are stuck to the dodgy motor and hey presto, you have a cloned car.

To find out just how easy it is to clone a car, Mat has bought two identical Volkswagen Golfs. The only difference is that one has been in a recorded accident, while the other is clean. All he needs to do is duplicate the number plate from the good car and slap them on the write-off.

Number plates are only supposed to be sold to the owner of the car from DVLA-approved vendors, and in theory you need to submit paperwork which proves you own it before the plates are made. There is a loophole to this though, and that’s something called show plates.

Show plates are in theory, as the name suggests, just for show purposes, for example if you’re filming an advert and want a number plate with your company name on it. It’s all too easy to duplicate real plates this way though, however there are ways the police can tell something’s up.

This is because show plates won’t have the correct British standard markings on them, nor will they have the name of the supplier at the bottom. They can also be lacking the correct reflective properties to be picked up by police cameras, which will raise suspicion.

Although you aren’t supposed to be able to get genuine number plates without documentation, Mat Watson found that getting hold of them online is possible with a little digging. With the correct markings and reflective materials, cloned plates won’t raise the eyebrows of a passing police officer.

For criminals wanting to just go through speed cameras without consequence, duplicating the number plates is all they need. However some dodgy characters want to clone a car to hide a sketchy past to sell it on for a profit. For this, they’ll need to alter the VIN which is a bit trickier.

Because the VIN is etched into the body of the car in various places, they’ll need to either cover it over with a new one or tamper with it to change it. This is much easier to spot if you know what you’re looking for.

How to spot a cloned car

So how can you avoid getting ripped off buying a cloned car? Well there are a few things you should look out for.

Firstly, check that the number plates have the BS AU 145e markings and the plate makers details, if these are missing it’s a big red flag. You should also check the car’s VIN number, which can be found in the bottom left corner of the windscreen and under the bonnet, for signs of tampering.

This can include obvious signs of paint and bodywork damage around the VIN, and the font of the letters and numbers should be consistent. If the area around the VIN is filthy but the VIN itself is squeaky clean, walk away.

Do a vehicle history check on the number plate. These checks will show you things like the mileage and the VIN number, so make sure the numbers all match up. Check the VIN against the V5C registration document as well.

Finally, if a car seems too good to be true it probably is. Be very wary of cars listed for sale really cheaply, as well as cars which have been heavily discounted. If the seller is insistent on you paying in cash, this can be to avoid having a paper trail and you need to proceed with caution.

How do I know if my car has been cloned?

The first indication many people get that their car has been cloned is when they receive a speeding fine (known as a Notice of Intended Prosecution, or NIP) or some other kind of ticket (such as a congestion or emission-zone penalty) through the post.

If this happens to you, you may have a moment’s hesitation if the area the offence took place was close to somewhere you recently drove, but in many instances you may instantly be able to tell that there was no way the offence could have been committed by you or in your car, as you were driving on the other side of the country when it occurred.

If the offence is more serious (say the cloned car was used to commit a robbery), you may find the police turn up at your door wanting to ask you questions, or pull you over when you are travelling in your car and its number plate alerts officers via their Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras.

If you buy a car that turns out to be cloned you may also find the police making contact with you, and it is likely the car will be seized and returned either to its rightful owner, or an insurance company that may have paid out following its theft.

What should I do if my car has been cloned?

This advice assumes you have received an NIP or ticket through the post for an offence committed by someone who has cloned your car. If police officers arrive at your house or pull you over, you may not have the time or presence of mind to search for and come across this article, although some of the ‘mopping up’ advice contained here may still be helpful.

The first thing you should do if your car has been cloned is contact the police and alert them of the offence. This can prevent or mitigate any further offences committed with the car being linked to you by default, and could also help prevent future crime. You should receive a crime reference number when you report the cloning.

You should also share any evidence with the police that shows your car has been cloned. You may not have timestamped home CCTV that shows your car safely on your driveway at the time in question, but you may be able to show via receipts, statements from friends or colleagues, or other evidence, that you did not commit the offence. A crime number may well be enough to stop you being chased by the authority that issued the penalty, though.

Next, contact the authority issuing the fine or NIP, explaining to them that you are not responsible for the offence, and that your car has been cloned. Give them the crime number you received from the police, and any evidence you may have that would support the fact you are not responsible for the offence, share this with the issuing party.

Penalty-charge notices often include accompanying evidence showing the offence – for example a camera image of the car driving in the bus lane; ask for photographic evidence to be supplied if it is not.

Look carefully at any image that is shared with you in relation to the offence: is the car the same make and model as yours (some cloners will use a random registration and stick it on any old vehicle)? Is it the same colour? Are there any identifying marks (EG stickers, decals, dents and scratches) that clearly show the car is not yours? Are the alloy wheels the same? Is the person driving clearly a different sex or race to you? Considerations such as these can make it obvious that your car has been cloned if you are asked for evidence you are not responsible for the offence.

The police may put a ‘marker’ on their computer systems detailing that your car has been cloned; this can help stop you being pulled over, or assist in detecting the offenders.
You should also contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to let them know your car has been cloned; the DVLA can issue you with a new registration for your car if you ask them to do this.

Much of the above might not be applicable to you, and you may find that both reporting the cloning and explaining you are not responsible for any offence is a simple task. But there have been (rare) instances of people being arrested and taken in for questioning after their car has been cloned, so the more information you have, the better.

How to stop my car being cloned

Following the usual advice of parking in well-lit areas, or considering a home CCTV system to deter criminals if you have off-street parking, are both wise preventative measures to deter someone stealing the number plates directly from your car.

You can also buy theft-resistant number-plate screws that require a dedicated tool or bit to remove for your number plates; these can be bought online, or from car-parts stores.

If you are advertising your car for sale, you may wish to physically obscure its number plates, or digitally blur the registration in the advert’s photographs (smartphone camera apps often allow this to be done easily.) Be aware that some potential buyers may be put off by this though, thinking perhaps that you are stopping them from checking the car’s history or MoT record. Either way, obscuring number plates when sharing images of your car on social media is also a sensible precaution.

What to do if you have bought a cloned car?

As outlined earlier, the consequences of buying a cloned car are potentially very expensive, as if this is detected, the police are likely to seize the vehicle and return it to the rightful owner, or its insurance company if a claim was made and paid out. It does not matter if you bought the car in good faith: it does not technically belong to you, so you have no claim to it.

While the seller of the car will be technically liable to give you a full refund, you may well struggle to contact them if they knowingly sold you a stolen car.

If you bought the car using a credit card you may be able to claim the money back using “Section 75” rules – ask your credit card company about this, though note there is a £30,000 limit on any claim, while debit cards do not afford the same protection.

Useful links

For further information relating to vehicle cloning, including official guidance on what to do if you suspect your car has been cloned, download the Government’s DVLA Vehicle Registration Numbers and number plates advice booklet.

If you suspect a car has been cloned, contact your local police force – many have dedicated online reporting services for incidents relating to car cloning. If you aren’t sure which police force serves your area, you can search by postcode here.

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