A concerning trend of number plate cloning is plaguing the UK, leaving innocent drivers with fines and legal repercussions, according to warnings from number plate experts.
Plates4less, a division of VRM Swansea, has raised the alarm as they receive over 50 calls per week from affected drivers who have fallen victim to plate-cloning criminals. These fraudsters are using cloned plates to commit fuel theft, access congestion zones, evade speeding tickets, and engage in other unlawful activities without facing the consequences.
Antony Clark, Marketing Manager at Plates4less, expressed their plight, stating, “We have been inundated with calls from drivers. There has been a massive increase in number plate cloning over the last two years. We are getting between 50 and 100 calls every single week from car owners who want to get personalised number plates in a bid to disassociate themselves from the cloned registration mark.”
To tackle the issue, Plates4less offers cover plates as a cost-effective solution, enabling people to change their vehicle’s registration mark with a non-personalised combination.
Repeatedly dealing with fines from various enforcement agencies is both time-consuming and frustrating for car owners, leading many to opt for changing their plates as a quick and practical way to address the problem.
Based in Swansea, Plates4less is committed to assisting clients from the UK and Northern Ireland in purchasing and selling private plates.
Antony emphasised, “There are a lot of unscrupulous companies and individuals when it comes to manufacturing and selling number plates, and many of them operate on selling sites like Amazon, eBay, and Facebook. They don’t check if the buyer has the legal right to have a set of plates made, which these days is a legal requirement designed to help law enforcement agencies. We have been working in this industry for over 25 years, and our customers return to us because they know they can trust us to look after them, time and again.”
With a focus on customer care and problem-solving, Plates4less aims to assist customers, especially after they have fallen victim to criminals, which can be a harrowing experience.
