The DVLA recently announced a crackdown on suppliers of illegal number plates. The main instances of this are number plates being copied by an unscrupulous supplier and then sold on to groups of criminals dealing with stolen cars. The copied number plates then replace the ones on the stolen cars, and so those cars are no longer registered as stolen for any checks on the registration plates.
As well as enabling the sale of stolen cars, this can also cause ramifications for victims who have had their number plate copied. Being pulled over by the police is never pleasant, but when they begin accusing you of stealing the car you are in, this can quickly become a nightmare.
