Motorists are receiving fines for crimes they did not commit
Criminals have developed tactics that let motorists receive fines for crimes they did not commit.
Criminals will find any and every way to commit offences, and unfortunately these strategies directly impact society.
One of the rising targets when it comes to criminal activity is motorists.
From fake fine scams, to hijackings and vehicle theft, to criminals cloning number plates, motorists have been warned to be more vigilant than ever before.
Motorists are getting fines for offences they didn't commit
The latest crime trend affecting motorists sees criminals cloning vehicle licence plates, which in turn means innocent motorists receive fines for crimes they did not commit.
Criminals clone licence plates for various reasons, including anonymity when committing crimes, avoiding fines and tolls, hiding stolen vehicles, or even for "getaway" vehicles
READ: Residents warned over new hijacking hotspot in South Africa
Whatever the reason, when criminals incur fines with these cloned number plates, the fines naturally go to the original owner.
The worst part is that it is up to the original owner to raise the issue and prove their innocence.
Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse's (Outa) executive director of its accountability division, advocate Stefanie Fick, told MyBroadband that the owners of the vehicles are accountable for resolving the issue.
"Unfortunately, the legitimate owner will have to bring it to the attention of the authorities," Fick said.
"In terms of Aarto, the legitimate owner will have to make representations to the Road Traffic Infringement Agency or a prosecutor."
Not only does the motorist have to address the issue, but they must also prove their innocence.
"If the legitimate owner's car is different to the cloned vehicle, your ability to show that it is cloned will be easier, for example," said Fick.
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"If you elect to be tried in court, then the onus will be on the State."
What should motorists do?
Fick advises motorists to firstly address unknown fines immediately and not let them escalate
Authorities should be informed as soon as possible to help resolve the issue.
In extreme situations, vehicle owners should consider getting new number plates.
In some cases, motorists could even have grounds to sue the Department of Transport, but Fick advises against this, as the legal costs could potentially exceed the settlement amount.
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"I am of the view that there is a duty on number plate manufacturers to ensure proper compliance and not allow cloned plates to be distributed," she added.
Fick added that it is up to the department to work harder to fight crime and corruption.
"If taxpayers' money is used for the intended purposes and accountability is enforced, we will have systems that work for the motorist," she said.
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