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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

How do the police know?

28 replies

Rumbletumbleinmytummy · 25/08/2020 23:49

A few hours ago I was pulled over for the first time ever. I was a bit flustered to hear that my car was coming up as cloned.
More than shocked at that point as I've owned my tatty fiesta since it was a year old (for five years now) and had no idea.

They seemed quite happy that everything was in order, and even pointed out that the other car was some 200 miles away, and their number plate was different to ours in one specific way.

But advised us that were likely to get some parking tickets and speeding tickets through, just let them know it isnt us and itll be alright.

They also asked if weve been pulled over before and warned me they were video recording our answers.

Now I'm home and sort of fretting.

How do police know that a cars been cloned?
Did the police officer ask about me being pulled over because someones been pulled over doing something dodgy in the other car with my number plate? Is that maybe why he asked about being pulled over before?

It seems mad that people clone cars, given the risks involved! I imagine now the police seem pretty certain that I'm the one who owns the number plate I assume someones going to be in deep trouble when they're pulled over.

Also, I dont know what to do now! I didnt get a crime number or anything, maybe I need to get one?
I cant call the police and tell them, can I? They told me.
I've heard of people getting a fine through but never being stopped by the police and told this!

So I'm nosey and curious! As to the ins and outs, I should've asked all of my questions but I worried about looking guilty!

OP posts:
Gin4thewin · 25/08/2020 23:53

They would of ran your registration through the Police National computer or PNC prior to pulling you over, this would of been flagged on there. If you do get any fines, call the appropriate police force if a police issued one, of company/council if not and advise of the situation. You can always call 101 for a crime reference to support this or ask if someone can explain the information from PNC to you

Gin4thewin · 25/08/2020 23:55

He asked if youd been pulled over already as you would trigger any ANPR Camera you go through, which if a officer is monitoring it, happens to be nearby or runs your registration through pnc, youll get pulled over to double check its you not the cloned vehicle as you did today. Expect to be pulled over again

SpringFan · 26/08/2020 00:02

I have a feeling that DVLA have advice about this on their website. I think there maybe some sort of marker they can put on your registration number to warn people asking for details it has been cloned.
Bit surprised they didn't give you a crime number.

Original poster
Rumbletumbleinmytummy · 26/08/2020 00:05

@Gin4thewin thank you for explaining that to me, I was just wondering how they realise that theres two cars with the same plates, especially so many miles away from one another lol.

Well that'll be fun! I think I may just keep a bundle of paperwork that sort of links me to ownership of the car for a while..and see if I can get a crime reference number too, to keep too!

Thank you!

I'll assume it's something that's just happened with this being the first time I've been pulled over ...so far!

OP posts:
Original poster
Rumbletumbleinmytummy · 26/08/2020 00:10

@SpringFan me too! To be honest, but I think I'll call in the morning and ask for a crime number. I'm not sure how all of this happens so I didnt think to ask for one at the time.

OP posts:
IfIHadAHeart · 26/08/2020 00:12

It’s likely that whichever car is using your plates is similar in colour/make/model to your car but not exact and this discrepancy has been noticed when the other vehicle has been run through the system.

The rest of your post is delightfully naive (I mean this in a nice way!) the whole point of using cloned plates is to disguise your vehicle’s real identity and is probably the least risky of whatever illegal activities they are involved in. The other vehicle will have markers for being involved in crime. This can be anything from taking fuel without payment to county lines really. Unfortunately I suspect you will be stopped time and again now as your reg number will ping the ANPR cameras every time it passes.

CoRhona · 26/08/2020 00:14

I got a parking ticket once, for a city I'd not been to, for a car that was a completely different make, model and colour but with my number plate.

Apparently it's very common and once I sent them the true car details they cancelled it straight away.

Justaboy · 26/08/2020 00:23

Some if not most of the ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition)
cameras are automatic as implied they "talk" to a cental database and so can flag up when duplicates appear, its a bloody PITA having this happen to you!..

Original poster
Rumbletumbleinmytummy · 26/08/2020 00:28

I'm going to look on the bright side here, maybe itll train me to keep my car a bit cleaner in the future! If I'm going to have police stopping me often.
I dont tend to be involved with anything too dodgy! So itll only be a few minutes (unless I pass quite a few, which isnt out of the question where I live!)

The worst bit will be if driving fines arrive I think!

OP posts:
Original poster
Rumbletumbleinmytummy · 26/08/2020 00:32

@IfIHadAHeart definitely naive when it comes to these things. I think the police thought I was the bumbling village idiot lost in town! But I guess that's a better encounter than they'd usually have!
Halo

OP posts:
Didkdt · 26/08/2020 00:46

Don't keep the ownership documents in the car!
I posted on here in January my car has been cloned from the limited information I've been given it seems there are significant differences between the 2 vehicles but it made me twitchy to drive for a while I was driving hundreds of miles a year for work the thought of being pulled over was a nightmare

Wiaa · 26/08/2020 03:03

We had ours cloned, we had a speeding ticket come through the post that wasn't us. It was on a road in our city in the middle of the night we were really worried but we contacted the police and we had to send pictures of our car, we were then sent a letter stating it wasn't our car and we had to mark our number plate in a specific way to identify it as the real car. We didn't receive any further fines or get pulled over although the car was then stolen around a year later but was then found a week later a mile or so away with fake plates, a set of keys and fully valeted there was even a bag of our stuff in the boot.

Emeraldshamrock · 26/08/2020 03:18

I'm not sure. My friends car was cloned they had the insurance disk on the bottom whereas my friends was at the top of the windscreen otherwise she may have had more trouble trying to prove they weren't her toll charges.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 26/08/2020 06:22

About 15years ago, it happened to a friend of DHs. Car was used in a string of crimes. DHs friend could luckily prove he wasn't involved (they were out of the Country with the Army at the time) but not that the car wasn't involved (it was parked on an Army base, so no evidence of where it was). It's a longstanding problem)

Redcherries · 26/08/2020 06:50

We had a car that was cloned years ago. I found out when I was insuring it and it came up as a completely different make, model, colour and location. The insurance company weren’t concerned at all and I had no problems when we sold it.

Sunnydayhere · 26/08/2020 06:58

We had our number plates stolen and were advised, by the police that a marker may be put on that number.

As a result we were likely to be stopped, get tickets and get questioned about drive away refuelings.

They said it would be sensible to keep copies of documents in the car.

We did this but were never stopped or got other peoples tickets etc.

Police helpful - unlike the time earlier when the insisted the car was not insured. It was.

JorisBonson · 26/08/2020 07:06

A lot of cars are equipped with ANPR cameras that set of an alarm is a flagged VRM goes in front of it.

Also, they wanted you they were filming as they are obliged to in any scenario.

user1495884620 · 26/08/2020 07:12

Rather than keeping documents in car, take a photo on your phone, everyone always has a phone with them and it reduces the risk of documents being stolen along with the car.

SpliffingOramorphedOut · 26/08/2020 07:18

You could re-register your car with a personalided number. Let the criminals keep your number!

maddening · 26/08/2020 07:18

I would be tempted to get a personalised plate and re-reg my car in that despite not being a fan of personalised plates.

SpliffingOramorphedOut · 26/08/2020 07:23

Do you mean the old tax discs? In the UK there has never been a requirement to display valid insurance on the windscreen.

premiumshoes · 26/08/2020 08:05

I was just wondering how they realise that theres two cars with the same plates, especially so many miles away from one another lol.

The cloned car has been commuting offences, the registration triggered the stop. If its not identical to your car the registered details would not match so that would give it away. Either that or they worked it out when they stopped and spoke to you.

Theoscargoesto · 26/08/2020 08:06

If the other car is involved in anything from parking offences to speeding to a getaway car, you are the registered owner of that plate so you will receive all the legal documents and the requests for payment. You then have to convince the authorities that you were not driving/your car has been cloned. What should happen (did to my son in law) is the police impound and destroy the imposter car. I’d be calling the police and asking what they are doing before you get fined etc. The authorities only believed son in law once they had proof from his black box that he wasn’t where the cloned car was.

FlapsInTheWind · 26/08/2020 08:14

It might be ANPR. If the same number comes up in two locations at once it will be likely flagged up.

petingo · 26/08/2020 08:31

If you have a mobile with google location history,keep it with you turned on at all times,it will record your movements and locations.

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