I got £8,500 in Ulez fines after my car number plate was cloned

A driver from Maidenhead has been hit with £8,500 in Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) fines after criminals cloned his car's number plate [1]. Transport for London (TfL) has now canceled the penalties following an appeal with evidence [1]. The victim, identified only as RJ, received 17 'order for recovery of unpaid penalty charge' notices from TfL after a cloned vehicle of the same make, model, and color incurred the fines in London [1]. RJ stated he had never driven his car in the capital and could not afford the penalties [1]. The cloning occurred in October, coinciding with a serious bicycle accident that left RJ unable to appeal all the fines in time [1]. TfL canceled the charges once RJ provided proof he did not own the offending vehicle [1]. A TfL spokesperson said, 'We would encourage all drivers who believe they have received penalty charge notices (PCNs), as a result of their vehicle being cloned, to get in touch with us as soon as possible, with all the available evidence, to prevent charges escalating' [1]. Acceptable evidence includes photos or affidavits placing the car elsewhere, proof of discrepancies between vehicles, and a police crime reference number [1]. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) reported a 9% rise in car number plate cloning last year [1]. Criminals use cloned plates on similar-looking vehicles to evade parking, speeding, and clean air zone charges [1].