Bizarre Speeding notice

TooManyPoints

The OP did not say it was the same model, only that it was the same make. Skodas are not particularly rare and a Skoda dealer registering a number of cars may well received similar registration numbers to use. The reason my money is on a mis-read is that clones are incredibly rare - far more so than mis-reads. But we'll have to wait and see.

amberhen49

Scrapit wrote: »

Oh noes, I have my reg number on display twice! Once facing in front of me and once behind me, every where I drive and even when I'm parked. Literally everyone who sees my car can see my reg. What should I do to make myself safer?

I don't think any criminals will be walking around the streets on the off chance they spot a car with the same make, model and colour that they need. Far easier for them to sit on the computer and do a quick search for a matching car.

I've seen a car advertised online have it's plate cloned and end up being used in a serious crime.

Of course if someone wants to clone a plate they'll do it anyway but you're making it far easier if you post pictures of the full reg online.

bugslett

angel00079 wrote: »

Assuming the other details are the same as OP, clone may be more likely.

If it was a misread would it be the same make/model?

OP, is there anything distinguishing about your car? Stickers or damage etc?

We had so.e sort of road penalty notice (bus lane I think, long time ago) on one of our vans. Photograph was taken in London, it was clearly the right reg, it was the same make and model as ours, even a short wheel base. However it had a ladder on the back which puts didnt, so instantly knew it was not ours. We also had a tracker and it showed our van in Scotland, nowhere near London, and a print off was sent along with the NIP.

Our van had been bought from new, so I'm not sure if someone had just seen it and cloned it.

EssexExile

We had a ticket for going through a red light about 200 miles away. I queried it & they sent me a photo of a Mitsubishi Colt with a registration one digit different from our Mitsubishi Galant.

Deneb

angel00079 wrote: »

Assuming the other details are the same as OP, clone may be more likely.

If it was a misread would it be the same make/model?

OP, is there anything distinguishing about your car? Stickers or damage etc?

The make and model will have been determined from the (mis?)read registration mark. No one will have looked at the photos, just done a PNC check on the registration mark recorded and filled in the details from there.


I had a similar notice a few years ago for my Mondeo speeding in Leicester, a city I have not been to for over 50 years. The registration, make,model and colour all matched my car on the form.


When I phoned them and spoke to a human being who was capable of looking at the photo, it was immediately apparent to them that the vehicle involved was a coach! The software had misread the plate.


So I will say from experience (having had involvement in the process also from the enforcement end) that whilst a clone is a possibility, a plate misread is still by far a more likely explanation.

unholyangel

mattvolatile wrote: »

If someone wanted to clone a car number plate they can just look at cars in the carpark at their local Tesco. They don't need to look at pictures on the internet.

Yeah but going to a local car park:
1) You later risk them seeing your reg later on and realising theirs has been cloned (you don't want someone local to you).
2) You could spend all day there and still not have someone drive in with the same make, model & colour of car as yours

While online, you can just search for "black mercedes GLA" or whatever and can find one within minutes.

Mory

Thanks for all the replies.

I got a second notice for the same stretch of road but a different date, contacted Bedfordshrire police who told me to take photos of my car from all angles and email them. Did that and got a letter back saying that the photos I sent didn't match that of the one caught on the speed cameras - so I took this to mean cloned plates.

When I phoned, the lady asked me if I had recently bought the car (I did - June this year) and she said yeah it's quite common they take reg numbers of similar cars for sale off the internet. My car was indeed listed online through a local dealers website and also on the AA car sales web site.

Still, least it's sorted. There still looking for the vehicle in question.

Ant555

Mory wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies.

I got a second notice for the same stretch of road but a different date, contacted Bedfordshrire police who told me to take photos of my car from all angles and email them. Did that and got a letter back saying that the photos I sent didn't match that of the one caught on the speed cameras - so I took this to mean cloned plates.

I have always wondered how they distinguish between cloned cars, especially those that are same make/colour - my perception is that you are guilty until you can prove innocence in these cases.
I wonder if they look for tiny details such as dealer stickers at the top/bottom of rear windows.

Would adding your own subtle but strategically placed stickers help in these cases?

Johno100

Mory wrote: »

Still, least it's sorted. There still looking for the vehicle in question.

Thankfully you are some distance from the 'patch' of the clone so little danger you'll have get stopped, either gently or more robustly, by the boys in blue thinking you're the clone.

foomanchu

Are you getting a new reg number? If it's been cloned I would.