Received London ULEZ fines - my car was nowhere near at the time

[WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll]

I've received two separate ULEZ fines in the post today, showing pictures of a car that is the same model and colour as mine, with the same registration, but I was nowhere near London on those two (consecutive) days between Christmas and NYD. AFAIR, the last time I was anywhere inside the M25 (where the two photos were taken) was in 2003 - 19 years before I owned this car (and indeed 8 years before the reg was issued) - and even then, I went in on the train and used a taxi. I live in the Midlands and have done for the last 20+ years.

I bought the car in the middle of November last year, but I have just looked on Autotrader and the advert has still not been taken down (private seller), with the number plates clearly showing, so I can only assume that somebody has looked for a car like theirs on Autotrader and got plates made up that match my registration.

I will get back in touch with the seller of my car (I still have his mobile number) and tell him to take the advert down immediately, but what can I do to dispute a stranger's (fraudster's) fines in a way that TFL will accept? Is there a way I can screen-grab the advert now with today's date and prove that it is still online now, over seven weeks after I bought and registered the car? Can the seller be considered negligent/culpable for continuing to advertise what is now MY car for sale? FWIW, I have no reason whatsoever to suspect deliberate foul play from him, but of course, he should have taken the advert down once he had sold the car. If the fraudster has cloned my plate, what's to say that they won't continue to clock up more fines, safe in the knowledge that they will all will now be sent to a stranger?

Is there any way I can find out who is illegally using my registration number on their similar car - or at least report that somebody is doing this? I presume TFL can consider the photos they have as 'proof' that my car was in the London ULEZ without paying the fee. I concede that I didn't pay the fee - because my car did not leave the Midlands on those days. None of the reasons given for disputing the fine apply to my circumstances - the closest would be that my car was stolen, but it wasn't: only my registration was stolen. Can I request/insist that TFL provide me with clearer photos that show who was driving the car that was displaying my reg? Would their cameras have captured clearer photos than the ones which they included on my fine letters, which actually show the driver?

Any help or advice greatly appreciated - TIA.

There's a similar thread going re a car insurance claim when the owner was hundreds of miles away. You should report it to the police, see if you have any location data/ chats/ photos (which will have location and time metadata) on your phone building the case that you weren't in london.

Def screenshot the ad. You can even save the html files too but screenshot is easier.

This happened to an EV YouTuber Jonathan Portferfield, you can watch his video about it . As I recall, finding the right police force to report it to was half the battle. This could be just the start of it if Jonathan's experience is anything to go by, so I would get on it sharpish. He didn't end up out of pocket for any money but it was a long, long process.

@tribpot I think Jonathan's issue is that he lives in Scotland so there was a whole Scotland/England issue.

@WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll definitely watch the video as although he does have issues he tells you the steps he went through to prove it was a cloned plate car.

I could have written your post! Purchased a new car on Autotrader in December and the plates were visible in the ad at the time (didn’t think about it) I’ve now had 4 ULEZ charges- one wasn’t even the same model of car! I’m sending back the representation form each time and have someone handling it for me as I’m due to give birth any day! Will let you know the outcome..

@LegLegLeg there definitely was a cross-border issue but I seem to recall he couldn't get the police in Leicester interested either. Maybe as it was neither his home force nor the force of the area where the offence took place.

Thanks very much indeed, all - that's really helpful.

I've been active on the abovementioned insurance fraud thread, but I'm conscious that TFL probably carry a lot more weight than some random driver.

I'll watch that video, screen-shot the advert and and get my disputes right in.

Thanks, Dorset2. Marvellous, isn't it - and just at the time when you could especially do without some fraudster making extra work and stress for you, on top of everything else. Hope you get to the bottom of it very soon, so you can focus on infinitely nicer things