Why you could be receiving unexplained parking tickets
Drivers receiving unexplained parking and tollway fines could be victims of sophisticated number plate cloning.
New South Wales motorist Tony Mitchell lives a quiet life in the country and rarely drives far from home.
But thieves who copied his number plates and fitted them to their van have been covering a lot of ground at his expense.
He told 7 News fines have been coming in for months.
“It’s easier to go and pay thirty or forty bucks and get some plates made and whack them on your car and let some other bunny pay for the fines.”
Tony’s a victim of number plate cloning, which is as easy as doctoring an existing plate to change the letters or numbers.
Alternatively, at markets traders can run off a new set in a matter of minutes.
Other people’s plates are being used to rack up freeway tolls, parking fines, in petrol station drive-offs, even burglaries and armed robberies.
“Thieves know that if you go to certain places you can get number plates made. You can go online and order number plates,” said Automobile Chamber Of Commerce’s Geoff Gwilym.
“We would call for the restriction of that as well.”
A possible solution is a return to registration stickers, but a high tech variety with engine numbers encoded that can be scanned at toll points to ensure the number plate matches.
Authorities though say the best way to avoid being caught out is to keep an eye your toll statements for anything untoward.
