OK advice please.
Miss FiF and her best mate are both totally convinced they saw my car driving past their school this afternoon. Even rang me up because they wanted to cadge a lift and wondered where I was going.
When I said it wasn't me they quoted the registration number accurately down the phone at me. Same colour and model. My reg number is not a local one btw.
Except it wasn't my car. At the time this was parked 15 miles away. Witnesses available to verify that.
I have considered very carefully that this could be a wind up but no real evidence to suggest it is.
So what should I do now if anyting?
Sit tight on the basis that most witness statements are not that accurate?
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has been known for two cars same reg in the past, normally errors at main dealers.
but the same car, same reg, same colour, same area, spotted by a relation????
i'd say slim to nil... a case of mistaken identity me thinks
(you see what you want to see, not what you really see)
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OK advice please. So what should I do now if anything? Sit tight on the basis that most witness statements are not that accurate?
If a clone is around then it is obviously not for your benefit.
As has been advised before.
As a minimum have a good look at the back of your car.
Take a note of any distinguishing features.
Number plate appearance. Supplier, Euro stars or similar?
Suppliers sticker in the back window?
Any bumps and scrapes?
Then consider adding some sticker perhaps?
Maybe as simple as a plastic tax disk holder on the back window behind a headrest. Pop anything you like in it that is bold and simple. e.g. a black circle on a yellow background.
The aim is to at least be able to prove a Gatso photo is not of your car.
The second aim is to be able to prove where your car was at a given time or place in case of a filling station drive away etc.
The real pain is to keep a log of your car journeys.
I guess it would not go down well if you posted your concern to the local BiB asking for advice as a means of logging when you first became aware.
I am sure other suggestions will follow.
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FiF,
Why are you worried if your car has been cloned?
Mine was and the cloned car committed an offence(in London) which I could prove could not have been my car.
Once it was established that it had been cloned the assumption was that the cloned car was committing offences - not I, cos I never speed or break the law!!!
Mind you if Miss FiF doesn't believe your alibi you have a problem.
C
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Agree there! Inform Plod ASAP, and if neccesary supply a pic of your car with sticker ["We have seen the Lions of Longleat?"] and a copy of the day's newspaper, to 'date' it.
Even send a copy of the pic to plod registered post, as well as one to yourself, also registered, and keep the slips/unopened envelope.
Bad Case, as Cardew says, Your Mrs may not believe you, and think you are carrying on with that 21 yr old blonde from the accounts department behind her back ...
Worst Case - Car is used in violent crime, OR is involved in a hit and run, OR is 'spotted' kerb-crawling, and splashed across the papers (the boss wouldn't be too happy with that!), or racks up NIP's by the dozen.
I think this is definitely a case of pre-emptive action needed.
(and as Cardew says, once your number is 'flagged', the chances are that all the NIP's will be binned anyway - even yours!)
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I'm sure Bro will have told you but along to the Blue Light Shop and have a word there expressing your concerns and all evidence pointing to cloned car. Hopefully they will take a certain course of action. If they do then be prepared to be pulled if you are out in the vehicle, several times until resolved.
Also, advise DVLA so that they can put a marker on your vehicle file so that if a LA makes an enquiry re Parking offences of reg keeper it should flash up.
You still got an Excise Licence on your vehicle?
DVD
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I'm sure Bro will have told you but along to the Blue Light Shop and have a word there expressing your concerns and all evidence pointing to cloned car. Hopefully they will take a certain course of action. If they do then be prepared to be pulled if you are out in the vehicle, several times until resolved.
Wouldn't the least-hassle course of action be to simply get a new registration number for the car? It's not that expensive, and then you would not be hassled by the police while they try to track the cloned vehicle.
I'm sure you'd prefer to avoid the expense, but it might save an awful lot of grief
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Chances you car is cloned? Pretty slim. Here is why I say that
1st
No one but the most stupid (and cloning is not a crime of the stupid) is going to clone a plate that is local to where you live. Chances of being seen by the cloned owner is too great.
2nd
Chances are there is a car the same as yours (make model colour) with a very similar plate. People who know your car will
1/ See car the same colour and recognition blooms
2/ See car the same make/model and the mind is now thinking about seeing you
3/ See the number plate (the final part the mind wants to see to confirm what it already suspects) scan it quickly (already expecting to see a well known particular sequence) and if its roughly the same then BINGO - confirmed false identity.
I know - It happened to me. I thought my Old cavalier had moved in to a nearby street. Same model, colour etc. It wasnt till I stopped and looked and thought. My car was M71*L** the "clone" was M71!L!!. Three characters different, But My mind said "Thats your car" - It still tries to when I pass it even tho I know!!!
Wont hurt to take all the precautions mentioned, but my gut feel is that its mistaken identity.
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RF,
"Chances you car is cloned? Pretty slim"
I understand that cloning is indeed far more widespread than you think - the congestion charge in London has highlighted this. This the main reason for the compulsory checks before you can now get new number plates made.
As cloned cars are invariably stolen the additional penalty - if any - will be small compared to that for theft, and probably driving without insurance. If car is pulled up by Plod and cannot produce documentation the driver will normally get a 'Producer'. The chances of them checking the VIN are slight.
So if you are going to put different plates on your stolen car it makes sense to use the number from an identical model and colour.
Well done if you know you know the number plates of your friends cars - I can barely remember mine or my wife's car.
C
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Cardew
I know car cloning goes on, but I said slim in this case for the reasons I explained. London is the hotbed for car cloning due to the congestion charging.
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It wasn't as simple as mis-reading ? seeing 553 as 553 for example ?
If you were really bothered, it might be worth putting a sticker of some sort on the back & front, but I can't imagine its worth doing much more.
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And there once was the famous documented case. Garage gets two cars, same model, colour etc registered at the same time. No 1 is 123ABC, and No 2 is 124ABC. Apprentice mechanic told to put the plates on the cars before sale. so he gets the 4 plates and the two cars and puts 123ABC on the front of No1 and 124ABC on the back. So of course no 2 gets 124ABC on the front and 123ABC on the back. The cars are sold to two buyers.
This error was not discovered by anyone until the MOT - THREE YEARS LATER!
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I had a car for some 18 months before a sharp eyed plod asked me what the reg was, *** 57 *, I replied, "Mmmm, that's what it says on the front and the VED, says *** 75 * on the back." Reckon the guy who made the plates was dyslexic.
Personally I would take the above advice about a sticker and photo. A friend has just had a real problem convincing the DVLA and some magistrates in Cambridgeshire that his car, which was taken away and crushed by his housing association, down in Essex, nearly a year ago because they thought it had been dumped, is not being driven away from petrol stations by him in Cambridge. He has now made the problem go away but not without a lot of time and trouble.
Cockle
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It wasn't as simple as mis-reading ? seeing 553 as 553 for example ?
OK I give up, 553 is 553, or should I take up Zen?
Thanks to all for input so far.
Ian's post about carrying on with the 21 yr old blonde reminded me of another recent strange non-motoring occurrence. Only just made the mental connection.
Clearly all the recommended actions re stickers, journey logs etc are being taken. Needs a bit more investigation before a visit to the b-i-b, but considering this second incident more and more convinced that a report will be in order.
I'll just have to get ready for multiple pulls, and I'm not talking 21 yr old blondes unfortunately!
I hope (he says with everything crossed) that it is a case of mistaken identity.
I thought like Renault F who would be so stupid as to clone a car with an out of area VRN and then drive around in the same area. Unless it's a double bluff?
By that lets say a NoIP is generated when its clear and proveable the car was elsewhere. Good position to prove a cloning situation as Cardew points out.
But if the NoIP is local, then much more difficult to prove that a clone exists.
Hmmmm....
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OK advice please. Miss FiF and her best mate are both totally convinced they saw my car driving past their school this afternoon. Even rang me up because they wanted to cadge a lift and wondered where I was going. When I said it wasn't me they quoted the registration number accurately down the phone at me. Same colour and model. My reg number is not a local one btw. Except it wasn't my car. At the time this was parked 15 miles away. Witnesses available to verify that. I have considered very carefully that this could be a wind up but no real evidence to suggest it is. So what should I do now if anyting?
This can happen. I think it was the year before last and on the local tv news. A newish Jeep Cherokee driver was getting parking tickets by the dozen and speed camera tickets. He paid the first few i think. The police had no time to investigate. He did his own home work and noted most of the parking tickets were issued within a half a square mile at certain times. He serached that area and located a car that looked exactly like his and EXACT number plate as his car. (this other car was stolen and cloned) He contacted the police, they said they were too busy - he called out the local press and spoke to the chief of police - they then turned up and towed the the cloned car away. It is rare but it happens.Sit tight on the basis that most witness statements are not that accurate?
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I used to live within a couple on miles of my cars almost twin. It was the same model and colour and my car was D519 xxx wheras this one was D518 xxx.
Think of when you buy a new car from a dealers. You are offered numbers from a sheet of similar numbers. All that has to happen is that somebode collects a similar car from the same dealers in say the same week and there is a chance that there is a similar car out there (mine was a Toyota Carina and I think there was only one spec and three colours). As cars are often bought from a dealer in the same area as the owner the two cars may see each other from time to time.
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A friend of mine a few years ago took delivery of a new vehicle,when he checked the documents with the number plate at the garage all was ok but when he got home he discovered that the vehicle had a different number plate on the front of the vehicle to that fitted to the rear.This raised the question which was correct.It caused a lot of confusion and red faces all round.
rustbucket (the original)
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A friend of mine a few years ago took delivery of a new vehicle,when he checked the documents with the number plate at the garage all was ok but when he got home he discovered that the vehicle had a different number plate on the front of the vehicle to that fitted to the rear.This raised the question which was correct.It caused a lot of confusion and red faces all round. rustbucket (the original)
There was a case of this some years ago in the paper, there were two consecutive numbers issued in to a local dealer and the two cars they were going on were identical models. The fitters put the front number plate on each car, went for a break and upon return fitted the rear number plates on the back of the other (wrong) car.
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I set off with my wife in my car shortly after I bought it. About 400 yds from home, out pulled a car, T755xxx, same model and colour as mine. I said to the wife, "Some ******'s nicked my car!".
"But we're in your car," Replied my ever-observant wife.
"Oh, yeah," I replied wittily, sheepishly remembering mine is T775xxx.
V
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I had a motorbike and when I sold it I found the dealer had given DVLA the wrong VIN, he had mixed up 2 identical models. Only found out when the buyer did a HPI check!!
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It is rare but it happens.
What, that the police actually turn up?
;-)
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If you managed to see the car parked I wonder how you would get on trying to claim the other car as yours on the basis of the cloned reg. and your V5. It would have to be parked; I don't think the police do car chases any more.
"Hello, police. My car's been stolen but I know where it is ..."
Wasting police time I guess.
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
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