If anyone has stolen or cloned your vehicle, there are certain steps that you must take to help rectify the situation. Use this section to find out what to do if you have fallen victim to one of these crimes as well as some steps you can take to help prevent yourself from becoming a victim of one of these crimes. Below you will find a summary of the topics covered in this section. If you would like more information, click on the links in the left-hand side of the page.

If your vehicle is stolen you should report it immediately to the police. The police will notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) of the details of the theft and any recovery of the vehicle on your behalf. Find out what steps you should take if someone has stolen your vehicle.

If you are being contacted about fines or charges for which you are not responsible because someone else is using your registration mark, it is possible that your vehicle has been cloned.

Cloning involves the copying of the identity of a similar (non-stolen) vehicle already on the road. Criminals find an exact match of the car they have stolen, they then copy the identity of the legitimate vehicle, therefore making it look legal based on false number plates being fitted.

Find out what to do if you think your vehicle has been cloned and also how to protect yourself from it happening again.

The Vehicle Identity Check (VIC) has been introduced to help reduce vehicle crime. It is intended to deter criminals from disguising stolen cars with the identity of written off or scrapped vehicles. Learn more above the VIC by following the link.

Number plate theft is on the increase, police data suggests there were around 33,000 number plates stolen in 2004, however this does not reflect the true problem as not everyone bothers to report number plate theft to the police.

According to police data, an estimated 33,000 number plates were reported stolen during 2004. It is, however likely that the figure is much higher given the level of unreported theft. Many of these plates are used for serious criminal activity.

Find out more about theft-resistant plates and where you can get them.