Amazon, the online retail giant, is discontinuing the sale of car registration plates on its platform following an investigation by BBC London, which revealed that these plates were being sold unlawfully.
The investigation uncovered seven sellers on Amazon that were offering number plates without verifying customers’ identities or confirming their legal right to obtain them.
In the UK, it is against the law for companies to provide number plates without personally reviewing essential documents, such as a driving license or V5 registration document.
In response to the findings, Amazon stated that it had removed all seven listings identified by the BBC and that the sale of number plates would be halted, except for novelty items.
The retailer clarified that the removal of these products would not occur instantly, as it would take time to eliminate the offerings from third-party sellers.
The unlawful distribution of number plates—or vehicle registration plates—can facilitate criminal activities, including the cloning of vehicles. This practice involves attaching a replicated plate to a vehicle that resembles the original, resulting in fines and penalties being wrongly pursued against the owner of the legitimate vehicle.
Last year, the BBC reported a 64% rise in the number of fines annulled due to instances of car cloning in London over the span of three years.
The BBC procured number plates from seven suppliers on Amazon, all of which were top-listed on the day of the order, and received the plates without needing to provide any documentation.
Ruth Cadbury, a Labour MP for Brentford and Isleworth and chair of the Transport Select Committee, expressed deep concern over the BBC’s revelations.
Among the firms identified for selling plates without appropriate documentation checks was SLS UK Holdings Ltd, located in Wiltshire, which claimed to be “DVLA registered” and offered “road legal” plates. The company is overseen by Jordan Daykin, who gained attention at 18 on Dragons’ Den in 2014 by securing £80,000 from Deborah Meaden for a DIY venture he has since left. Daykin declined to discuss the findings with the BBC.
Another supplier that provided plates without the necessary checks was Plastic Services, also based in Westbury, Wiltshire, which shares an address with SLS UK Holdings on the DVLA supplier register.
Macorley Bivens, the director of Plastic Services and a previous business associate of Daykin, chose not to comment on the BBC’s inquiries, stating they needed more details before responding.
Both Defence Line Ltd and Domo Corporation Ltd delivered plates without any request for identification. While Defence Line did not respond to media inquiries, Domo Corporation stated they required further information to provide a response.
Two additional companies, Official Plates Ltd and Meena Supplies Ltd, asserted that ID verification was necessary but shipped the plates anyway, without further inquiries. Official Plates Ltd did not comment, while Meena Supplies Ltd emphasized their commitment to legal compliance in a statement.
Reg Locker Ltd, after the BBC’s purchase, sent a text message asking for documentation, but the plates were nonetheless delivered days later, as the BBC did not respond. The company noted, “Temporary staff failed to follow up on the message about compliance documentation. We will ensure all temporary staff receive retraining to prevent such oversights.”
From 2021 to 2023, around 90,000 penalty charge notices were rescinded due to incidents of number plate cloning.
Stella Roscoe from Leatherhead, Surrey, discovered her car had been cloned after receiving a police notice about her prosecution for allegedly leaving the scene of an accident in Ilford—a place she claims never to have visited.
“Receiving a letter stating you’re facing prosecution feels incredibly distressing,” she remarked. “It makes you feel like a criminal, and I couldn’t understand how this was happening, knowing I wasn’t there.”
At the time of the alleged incident, her vehicle was securely parked in her garage while she attended a nearby event with a group of ten people.
The Metropolitan Police acknowledged the cloning, yet seven months later, her insurance claim remains unresolved.
Roscoe expressed her belief that cloning offenses should warrant prison sentences.
Rob Laugharne, managing director of Hills Number Plates, one of the largest suppliers in the UK, stated he was not surprised by the BBC’s findings. He explained, “The online market for plate supply has unfortunately spiraled out of control, driven by outdated regulations that still demand physical sighting of original documentation.”
Hills is piloting a program to show that digital copies of identification can be used to verify entitlement to a number plate, which is already practiced by other government entities.
The DVLA responded, stating that they collaborate with the police and Trading Standards to address suppliers who violate the law. They noted that legitimate suppliers will always verify identification and entitlement documents before selling number plates, and individuals can report violations directly to local Trading Standards authorities.
MP Cadbury recounted that the DVLA had informed the Transport Committee that a report from the Home Office regarding car cloning was expected to be released at the end of the previous year. “We’re still awaiting the outcome of that report. It seems much of the work is done, and I doubt the recommendations would be overly challenging to implement,” she commented.
The Home Office stated, “The cloning and alteration of number plates threaten road safety and provide cover for criminal activity. We are collaborating with police, the DVLA, and other stakeholders to combat these crimes. We have initiated a new Road Safety Strategy—the first in over a decade—aimed at reducing road fatalities and related crimes, with further details to be provided soon.”
