There has been a rapid increase in vehicle number plate cloning in South Africa, which has dangerous implications for the average motorist.
This is according to a recent statement by IFB Investigations, which warned that road users need to be vigilant of the re-emergence of this trend, as it is incredibly easy for criminals to clone your car’s identity, which can lead to charges being laid against you and your car when these cloned vehicles are used in various criminal activities.
Doppelgangers on the roads
Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, the director of IFB Investigations, Stan Bezuidenhout, explained that criminals will often copy a car’s VIN number while it is parked in a public location such as a mall.
To do this is simple; the criminals peruse the various vehicles in a packed parking lot and take a photo of the licence disc of the one they have chosen.
The individuals then take a standard vehicle registration document and edit it in a software programme to change the digits in the document to match their target vehicle, whereupon they go to a local number plate manufacturer to print the cloned plates.
“As long as they [the licence plate makers] get their R280 or R300, they’ll print me my number plates. For the licence disc, all I have to do now is match the registration to the actual VIN number of my car,” said Bezuidenhout.
The reason this is so concerning is that, in the eyes of the state, the cloned vehicle and the unsuspecting victim’s original are now indistinguishable, which can lead to charges being made against the victim for offences committed by the cloned model’s drivers.
In the majority of cases, the recorded offences are minor and are usually for traffic fines like speeding, though this is obviously still incredibly frustrating for the genuine owner.
In more severe cases, these illegitimate cars are being used for serious crimes including robberies, cash-in-transit heists, kidnappings, and murders – all of which could potentially be traced back to the unsuspecting true owner.
“There have been instances of people being confronted by ten police officers waving guns in their faces, telling them they’re the suspect in a serious crime,” said Bezuidenhout.
It is estimated that between 3,000 and 5,000 cases related to cloned vehicles and licence plates are reported each year in South Africa.
Making matters worse is the fact that it is difficult for authorities to authenticate the true owner of the legitimate and criminal vehicles, and the police themselves are not immune to this crime either.
According to BusinessTech, in December 2023 the South Africa Police Services (SAPS) tracked down and recovered a cloned Gauteng Traffic Police vehicle in Edleen in Kempton Park, which had been used in the commissioning of multiple truck hijackings around the province.
The vehicle belonged to a criminal syndicate and was used in crimes along the N3, N12, R21, and R24 in Gauteng.
If you suspect your licence plate has been cloned, you should open a case at your local police station immediately, as this will create a record of the cloning which can be implicated when any illegal activities with the cloned car take place.
Take a copy of your ID and proof of ownership of your vehicle when doing this.
If any traffic fines or e-toll bills have been accumulated by the false car, you will need to send a submission to either the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) or Sanral to explain why you are not liable for the amount owed, which a police record will assist with.
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