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Cloned vehicles 'a threat to car insurance customers'

22/08/07

Drivers looking to preserve their car insurance premiums should beware buying a car which has been cloned following a 25 per cent rise in the criminal practice.

According to figures recently released by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), some 40,000 number plates were stolen in 2006, marking a 25 per cent rise on statistics from the previous year.

The association states that the thefts are now contributing to a rise in the cloning of automobiles, reports Auto Express.

Typically, cloned cars use a stolen identity and are used to carry out criminal activity; however, they can also be sold on to unwitting car insurance customers.

A number of methods to help reduce the crime and protect car insurance holders are currently under scrutiny by various organisations such as the DVLA, which is trialling microchip technology which could be placed inside the number plate itself.

Meanwhile, ACPO has called for all cars to be fitted with tamper-proof plates which would shatter upon removal.

A theft-resistant plate has been developed by the DVLA but is not currently being used by all car dealerships.

Earlier this month, number plates were stolen from 11 cars in the same street in Peterborough, raising concerns that the identities of the vehicles may be stolen.

Community safety officer Carol Aston described the findings as unusual because of the high number of offences which took place on the same street and during the same night.

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