A FRUSTRATED driver was slapped with an unbelievable six parking fines in a city he’d never driven in – and was even threatened by bailiffs.
Ben King was a victim of “car cloning” – a form of vehicle identity theft that’s cropping up across the UK.
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Ben had allegedly been recorded parking across London, accumulating hundreds of pounds worth of fines – despite him never driving in London before.
On the dates that Ben was accused of the fined parking, his hire car had actually been sat right outside his home in Reading.
He was a victim of car cloning.
Licence plate cloning is where fraudsters copy your car registration number and assign it to another car, usually to carry out illegal activities.
It means you will be blamed if they are caught committing motor-related offences – just like Ben did.
Ben’s case was a six-month long battle – despite none of it being his doing.
In the bizarre case, it nearly cost the innocent driver £1,000 and even had the threat of bailiffs coming to his door.
He told the BBC: “I started getting these parking notices through from Redbridge Council, five more from the Newham Council.
“I’ve never driven in Redbridge or Newham, in fact, I’ve never driven in London before. I always take public transport.”
Speaking of the emotional toll it had, Ben said: “It was so, so stressful.
“We were up late at night, worrying about having to find a thousand pounds to pay these fines, what to do, how to appeal.”
To add to the stress, Ben was not initially able to prove his innocence.
He continued: “I work from home, so I didn’t have any proof that I’d been to an office.
“I submitted doorbell camera footage of the car on my drive, but they wouldn’t accept that evidence.”
A Redbridge Council spokesperson said to the BBC: “Motorists can always appeal and challenge a penalty charge notice if they believe their vehicle number plate has been cloned.
“In Mr King’s case, he failed to provide the necessary evidence to support the claim that his vehicle was cloned.”
Newham Council said they’d always cancel PCN’s when drivers were able to give evidence.
Vehicle cloning is not a new issue – but the number of people affected has soared over the past few years, new figures show.
The amount of innocent drivers receiving fines in London because their number plate has been cloned has more than doubled since 2019, a freedom of information (FOI) request to Transport for London (TfL) has revealed.
The FOI, provided exclusively to The Sun by MoneySuperMarket, showed 16,264 Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) were issued vehicles with cloned plates in London last year – more than double the 7,262 issued in 2021.
A large number of those fines were for driving into the ULEZ zone without paying.
Most PCN charges are £130, which can quickly rack up if the driver receives several fines.
And the problem is far from limited to London.
According to a police investigation last year, up to two million drivers across the UK could be at risk of fines as a result of their licence plates being cloned by other motorists.
Some drivers could be hit with even heftier fines if their plates are caught in more serious offences, such as speeding.
What is number plate cloning?
Number or licence plate cloning is where someone steals the identity of your car by using your licence plate number on their own vehicle.
Crooks will typically choose a near-identical car to the one they intend to clone so it goes unnoticed for as long as possible, according to motor firm Wilsons.
It said they tend to pick cars with a clean history, such as no parking tickets or speeding fines.
Any offences they commit while driving the car will then be blamed on the genuine owner of that licence plate number.
Criminals may find licence plates on the internet or by looking for cars out and about.
Many drivers may unwittingly post a picture of their car online, meaning fraudsters can easily steal its identity.
What do I need to do if my car is cloned and how can I prevent it
If you receive a parking or speeding fine you don’t recognise, you may have been a victim of licence plate cloning.
The first thing you need to do is contact the police to get a crime reference number, and report it to the DLVA.
When you report car cloning, try to include any evidence to show that your car wasn’t actually involved, such as if you have proof you were somewhere else on that date.
Ask for any photographic evidence, as this might help you demonstrate that you weren’t involved.
While it’s difficult to entirely prevent your car being cloned, there are a number of ways you can help protect yourself.
Parking your car off the street and somewhere secure, such as a garage, can prevent crooks from taking down your licence plate and any other features on your car, according to GoCompare.
CCTV or a dash cam on your car could also help you track down if anyone has been lurking around your vehicle.
Be careful with what you share online, too. Avoid posting photographs where your car registration number is clearly visible.
