It has been revealed that about 13,000 vehicles that have been licensed by the Driver and Vehicular Licensing Authority (DVLA) have been registered with fake documents. What makes this figure even more shocking is the fact that the number of cars with a fake car number plate is only since the beginning of this year so is set to increase further.
People may put a fake car number plate on a car for various different reasons but the most likely is because the car has been stolen. This is why police are continually urging people to buy cars from reputable dealers and people they can trust. This doesn't rule out other options such as Ebay and Auto Trader but the importance of checking official documents is strongly encouraged.
Although stolen cars are one of the most common reasons for someone putting a car number plate on a vehicle that isn't genuine, recent evidence has suggested that there is a new trend on the increase as well. Many vehicles have been imported into the United Kingdom without the appropriate duty having been paid on them. Since this revelation, the DVLA has seized 103 vehicles that have fallen into this category.
The vehicles in question were sent to the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) who has been assisting in investigating this matter. It is thought that the organisation and the DVLA are going to start working closely together in a bid to fight this recent trend.
One of the reasons why it has become easier for companies and individuals to get away with this and then put a fake car number plate on the vehicle has been because of the introduction of facilities such as the Gold Card. This enables large tax compliant companies to clear their goods quickly and promptly from the ports without having to go through the normal processes. This makes it a lot easier to import vehicles into the country without paying all the duties.
Over 144 companies are able to use this facility and a substantial amount of these companies include individuals. This is worrying because there is no - one monitoring so are potentially fee to do whatever they want and however often they want. There is then no - one to stop them committing other acts such as putting a car number plate on a car that isn't genuine.
It is thought that these facilities are going to be investigated and that tighter controls will be implemented to make it harder for people to carry out this act. It is hoped that decreasing this will also decrease the number of people putting a fake car number plate on their car.
