Almost 1,000 drivers a month wrongly fined after criminals clone their number plates

Almost 1,000 drivers a month wrongly fined after criminals clone their number platesExperts warn the ease of buying number plates online has created a system where criminals can operate with little risk while innocent drivers are left to prove their innocenceCommentsNewsMatthew Davis14:00, 18 Apr 2026View 2 ImagesCriminals are believed to be able to buy fake plates for as little as £30(Image: Getty Images)Almost 1,000 drivers a month are being wrongly fined after criminals clone their number plates and rack up offences in their name.‌Last year a record 11,394 motorists reported to the DVLA that their registration had been copied, a 9 per cent rise on the 10,463 cases the year before and up 54 per cent from 7,377 in 2020.‌The scam sees crooks fit fake plates to their vehicles so parking tickets, speeding fines and other offences are wrongly attributed to innocent drivers. It can leave victims inundated with penalties for incidents often taking place hundreds of miles away from where they live.‌Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the AA, said: “The rise in drivers having their plates cloned is concerning and more needs to be done to tackle the issue. A key problem remains the apparent ease to buy plates, particularly online, without the need to submit proof of ownership.View 2 ImagesIn 163 cases last year the problem became so severe that the DVLA allowed victims to change their registration number to stop the flood of fines(Image: Getty Images)READ MORE: Premium Bonds 'dramatic cuts' alert as NS&I changes scheme rulesREAD MORE: Child Benefit claimants issued warning over missing National Insurance credits“The Government's recent Road Safety Strategy recognises plate cloning as a growing problem and is consulting on higher penalties to help deter this behaviour.”‌Experts warn the ease of buying number plates online has created a system where criminals can operate with little risk while innocent drivers are left to prove their innocence. Criminals...