Random PCN turned up this morning in the post

[mike42]

Hello All

So had a "Dart Charge" for supposedly using the Dartford Tunnel. The event took place nearly 2 months ago - that makes it even harder to figure out exactly where I was. I live about 60 miles west of London so nowhere near Dartford. I think I've only ever been through that tunnel once about 20 years ago. Wherever I was I was definitely not in that tunnel!

Thankfully it was a school day and I know exactly where I was - collecting daughter from school. Google Timeline seems to back that up but I guess its not 100% proof. Their "proof" shows a car which looks white (mine is silver) but it could just be their terrible image. The close up is 100% not clear. Maybe they've kept their best image for the court? I'd like to see it.... Why don't they show their best image first time? I'd like to know if my plates are cloned or if their image recognition software isn't working properly. (Hopefully the latter of course!)

Just peeed off some random company can send me this demanding letter which is going to take a lot of time to sort out and I've got two disabled kids to look after. If I'd done this, I'd pay up. Why wouldn't I? I'm not rich but can afford to pay fines if they are my fault.

Sorry for the rant there. If anyone has any useful info I'd be grateful to receive it.

[swampy442]

I had similar a few years ago, people cloned my car reg from an eBay add and ran a bunch of charges up.

It was easier for me because my car was green and the car in the pictures was clearly light coloured. Contested it, showed them my proof and they wrote the charges off,

[bad company]

I had similar with an ULEZ charge. I was abroad at the time so knew my car wasn’t in London so I asked for the evidence. They sent me the photo below of the van. My car is the orange BMW.

[matrignano]

Thames water cloned your plate?

[turbobloke]

matrignano said:

Thames water cloned your plate?

Possibly sewage contamination on the plate, changing the apppearance of a letter or number.

[bad company]

matrignano said:

Thames water cloned your plate?

No. The number plates weren’t in any way similar, I have a 3 digit private plate.

I have no idea how that happened, they didn’t offer an explanation but obviously withdrew the charge.

[martinbiz]

mike42 said:

Hello All

So had a "Dart Charge" for supposedly using the Dartford Tunnel. The event took place nearly 2 months ago - that makes it even harder to figure out exactly where I was. I live about 60 miles west of London so nowhere near Dartford. I think I've only ever been through that tunnel once about 20 years ago. Wherever I was I was definitely not in that tunnel!

Thankfully it was a school day and I know exactly where I was - collecting daughter from school. Google Timeline seems to back that up but I guess its not 100% proof. Their "proof" shows a car which looks white (mine is silver) but it could just be their terrible image. The close up is 100% not clear. Maybe they've kept their best image for the court? I'd like to see it.... Why don't they show their best image first time? I'd like to know if my plates are cloned or if their image recognition software isn't working properly. (Hopefully the latter of course!)

Just peeed off some random company can send me this demanding letter which is going to take a lot of time to sort out and I've got two disabled kids to look after. If I'd done this, I'd pay up. Why wouldn't I? I'm not rich but can afford to pay fines if they are my fault.

Sorry for the rant there. If anyone has any useful info I'd be grateful to receive it.

Cloning is a possibility, but a simple plate misread is more likely. Go back to them and explain you haven't been near the Dartford crossing for 20 years and could they check their images, and enclose a decent pic of your car showing the VRM

[mike42]

Thanks a lot for all the replies - as ever on PH very helpful.

Mini update is when I went to contest it online I realised they were only asking for £2.50 but if not paid after 28 days then £70. Considering the work gone into collecting all my evidence and taking pics etc its almost worth paying. Of course I didn't though - if it has been cloned maybe I'll start racking up lots of these £2.50s and wouldn't be a good look I think to concede.

Lets see what happens....

[The Gauge]

My car has also been cloned, I've received 5 x PCN's in recent weeks. I've set out appealing them and had to change my cars reg number via DVLA and the whole things has cost me £140 up to now. Seems there's a lot of this about.

I've posted about it on this thread (my posts are from 16th April 2024 onwards)...

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[Solocle]

mike42 said:

Thanks a lot for all the replies - as ever on PH very helpful.

Mini update is when I went to contest it online I realised they were only asking for £2.50 but if not paid after 28 days then £70. Considering the work gone into collecting all my evidence and taking pics etc its almost worth paying. Of course I didn't though - if it has been cloned maybe I'll start racking up lots of these £2.50s and wouldn't be a good look I think to concede.

Lets see what happens....

Yeah, it's fairly decent that first time you get fined they only charge you the cost of the crossing as leeway.

Still, better not to lie by paying it, as the 2nd time wouldn't be £2.50, and you'd find it more difficult to defend then.

I've been across precisely once, last year, but it was free.

[Fatboy]

Solocle said:

Yeah, it's fairly decent that first time you get fined they only charge you the cost of the crossing as leeway.

Still, better not to lie by paying it, as the 2nd time wouldn't be £2.50, and you'd find it more difficult to defend then.

I've been across precisely once, last year, but it was free.

I will be very disappointed if you didn't get to sit on the bike while it was being driven over the crossing... :heh:

[OutInTheShed]

bad company said:

No. The number plates weren’t in any way similar, I have a 3 digit private plate.

I have no idea how that happened, they didn’t offer an explanation but obviously withdrew the charge.

Short plates can be confused by the ANPR with random bits of text, phone numbers on vans etc.

[Nibbles_bits]

bad company said:

matrignano said:

Thames water cloned your plate?

No. The number plates weren’t in any way similar, I have a 3 digit private plate.

I have no idea how that happened, they didn’t offer an explanation but obviously withdrew the charge.

Is that 1st image cropped? Because the VRN isn't visible.

[bad company]

Nibbles_bits said:

bad company said:

matrignano said:

Thames water cloned your plate?

No. The number plates weren’t in any way similar, I have a 3 digit private plate.

I have no idea how that happened, they didn’t offer an explanation but obviously withdrew the charge.

Is that 1st image cropped? Because the VRN isn't visible.

It’s exactly what they sent me. All I’ve done is block out my registration number.