Reg number scam

sarahg1969

My husband’s car was in Autotrader without the numberblanked out. Several months after it was sold, he had a letter from hisinsurers asking why he hadn’t reported an accident. They had had claims in froma firm of solicitors, representing his four Nigerian passengers (we’re notNigerian) who were injured when he drove out of a side road into another car(whose driver hadn’t made a claim) in a city over 30 miles away.

It’s more common than you might think, actually.
Whoever was doing the scam could have done it just as easily from any registration number, I suppose. But they'd need some personal details, too. I suspect they got our name and address when they called to arrange a test drive.

AdrianC

sarahg1969 wrote: »

Whoever was doing the scam could have done it just as easily from any registration number, I suppose. But they'd need some personal details, too. I suspect they got our name and address when they called to arrange a test drive.

Not at all - their insurers would just have asked DVLA for the registered keeper.

SailorSam

When i'm driving around a carpark looking for a spec i park in the first empty one i find. I don't care who's next to me.

adonis

I almost got into the passenger side of the wrong car in florida when on holiday, not a good idea in a state where they are allowed to carry guns:eek:

forgotmyname

I didnt park next to one. But i did stand near one once when my wife popped into the supermarket. It was an unusual purple/burgundy colour and not a common site.

So i stand near the other car. Wife comes along and asks where out daughter is. I say she is in the car. She tries opening it and says unlock it.
After several moments of her trying to open the doors i say i cannot open that door. Its not our car. Our car is over there...

Jamie_Carter

Netwizard wrote: »

I don't see the point blurring the reg number out on the internet.

What is the point? If your out and about in the car, hundreds of people will see your number plate daily. You wouldn't put tape over it if you were driving down the motorway on your morning commute!

If some scally wants to clone your car, they will find a way to do it anyway

Why make it easy for people to clone your number plate??


If criminals want to clone the plates for lets say a 2010 blue Focus, then the easiest way to do it is to search for that model on sites like Autotrader or Ebay. By obscuring the plate you are stopping them doing this.


A friend of mine once had a visit from the police because his number plate had been cloned to be used on a stolen vehicle which was used in an armed robbery.


Then of course an uninsured and untaxed vehicle could be using your cloned number plate. Not only wouldn't they attract the attention of the police from ANPR cameras, but you could also receive any fines that they accumulate.

sarahg1969

AdrianC wrote: »

Not at all - their insurers would just have asked DVLA for the registered keeper.

There was no other vehicle, this is the point. It would have looked pretty daft if they'd gone to a solicitor to make a claim and given the registration of the vehicle they were passengers in, but couldn't say who was driving.

I am fully aware that details can be obtained from the DVLA, or even that you can just do a MID check on the car and go direct to the insurers. But... that would look extra suspicious if you were a passenger in the fault vehicle.

MarcusAurelius

Jamie_Carter wrote: »

Why make it easy for people to clone your number plate??


If criminals want to clone the plates for lets say a 2010 blue Focus, then the easiest way to do it is to search for that model on sites like Autotrader or Ebay. By obscuring the plate you are stopping them doing this.


A friend of mine once had a visit from the police because his number plate had been cloned to be used on a stolen vehicle which was used in an armed robbery.


Then of course an uninsured and untaxed vehicle could be using your cloned number plate. Not only wouldn't they attract the attention of the police from ANPR cameras, but you could also receive any fines that they accumulate.

Hence the OP!

Can you actively prevent those kind of things from happening?

How would you dispute a fine based on a picture taken by a speed camera?

Moto2

MarcusAurelius wrote: »

Hence the OP!

Can you actively prevent those kind of things from happening?

How would you dispute a fine based on a picture taken by a speed camera?

An alibi?
Not you in the photo?

forgotmyname

A picture of you speeding past your local camera at exactly the same time?