Police invited one Riaz Gilani to file a complaint with their Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) after he took to Twitter to reveal how his expectant wife who was driving with another baby in the car was mistakenly descended on by police.
[THREAD] So, there’s a syndicate of crooks in #Kenya who have been cloning vehicle registration plates, and using random vehicles to commit crimes.
— Riaz Gilani (@RiazGilani) October 3, 2018
Armed officers in three vehicles are said to have stopped her and pointed their firearms, shouting instructions and scaring the baby in the back seat as they searched the vehicle.
At the police station she was ordered to drive to, the matter was laughed off with talk that it was “lucky that she was a lady driver. Mwanaume angepigwa risasi (A man would be shot)”.
The police were on the trail of suspects believed to clone number plates which they place on vehicles used in various criminal activities.
The lady was interrogated with police seeking to know, among other things, whether her mechanics could have used it to commit a crime.
To understand or to protect yourself from number plate fraud, one first needs to learn about the different types and how they are carried out. Only when you have enough knowledge about it can you take the proper action to be protected from it. Here is a look at it:
Number plate cloning;
This is the most common type of number plate fraud that fraudsters attempt because it is pretty much easy to carry out. All you need is a number plate from a similar vehicle that’s legally registered and then place it on a property that is stolen or probably damaged so that its identity is hidden. Number plate cloning means that a person is evading the laws and also gives them the power to sell a stolen car to a buyer who has no idea or suspicions about the deed.
Number plate alteration;
The number plate alteration has serious consequences if you get caught and it is of higher risk. This can result in adverse conditions like staying in jail for a considerably long period. Destroying the number plate so nobody is able to read it or changing the numbers of the number plate are also a part of the number plate alteration fraud.
Knowing and understanding the different terms of number plate fraud is important to protect yourself from it. However, you need to know about how you can exactly check for it too. Here are some ways through which you can do a complete number plate research and make sure that you are not buying a stolen car.
Inspection of the vehicle
First you need to inspect the vehicle on your own. Also ask the owner whether they are going to allow your mechanic to take a look at it or not. If they get suspicious and make excuses; you definitely know that something is not right. Thus it is better to drop the idea right there and not buy the car. Moreover, if they allow your mechanic to check, make sure that you take the car to a really good one. The best mechanics usually get to know about anything weird that might have been done with the car. They are also capable of catching attempts of any bad action. If the mechanic clears your vehicle and your number plate look up is cleared by him then that is a really good sign and you can jump to the next step of your research.
Use a transport ministry database
But as number plate fraud is too common now, you need to take the car to the database. There is a proper national insurance database which helps you indicate whether the car has been stolen or not.
History of the car
Next, you need to check the history of the car too as it is important for number plate look up research. There are various companies that do this for you and a lot of tools are accessible online as well. It is always better to check the history from both the sources but a proper office might make you feel more satisfied.
The above-mentioned steps for a proper number plate look up process will help you in protecting yourself from fraud. Buying a stolen car can easily turn your life upside down and make it hell. To make sure that you secure yourself in all ways and don’t purchase a stolen or number plate fraud car, here are some stress free tips that can be of great help, to keep up your sleeve.
1. If the seller whines about missing papers, insurance or registration, don’t buy the car. The seller might reduce the price for you too, making sure that the offer seems great to you. But remember that the basic papers are an essentiality and the owner must have them. If these are missing, don’t contact that seller again.
2. Number plate number can be painted or tampered easily. Take a good look at it. If you don’t have time to take it to a proper mechanic, then do it on your own. Throw light on it and check it in all possible ways for any signs of modification. If you think that the number plate has been tampered, you simply do not buy that vehicle.
3.This is going to get obvious; the seller is not going to allow you to inspect the car deeply. The seller might make excuses but you are the one who must walk away. if he/she is making lame justifications for not letting you take the car to a mechanic, you walk away from that offer and find a better one.
4.Another thing that usually number plate frauds do is that they don’t allow you to drive the car for testing. This is usually what everyone does before buying a car; they test drive it. Avoid the offer of such sellers and walk away without any further discussions because these frauds can easily mess up with your mind.
5.Fraud sellers usually don’t meet up their own places. They make excuses and try setting a meet up in public locations. Don’t ever fall prey to this. Always confirm the identification and the address that is mentioned on the advertisement or offer, from where you got to know about the sale. Meet them at their house for best inquiries.
Conducting a number plate look up is a lot of work for sure. However, it doesn’t take more than a day or two to complete. Just make sure that you don’t allow yourself to fall prey to buying a stolen car as that can be a truly messy problem to have. Number plate fraud is increasing and it is recommended that you take the proper actions to remain safe.