Woman warns Ontario drivers after getting caught up in licence plate cloning scam
An Ontario woman was surprised to find out her licence plate was duplicated by another driver after multiple Highway 407 bills landed in her mailbox.
“When I looked up those dates, it was the Easter weekend and I wasn't even in the city,” Obioma Dike told CTV News Toronto.
Obioma Dike received three Highway 407 bills after her licence plate was fraudulently duplicated. The bill indicated that Dike took Highway 407 three times – on April 8, 9 and 28 – for a total cost of just over $60.
She asked for camera evidence of her car travelling on the provincial-owned highway that spans from Burlington to Pickering, and received images of what appeared to be her licence plate secured to a Nissan like her own.
“But it’s not my car,” she said.
A close look at the tolled vehicle compared to Dike’s shows differences in the details – one car has a dealership plate, is a SV model and has a flared frame around the radiator grille, while the other has none of these features.
“This appears to be a case of fraud where the person’s licence plate number was duplicated,” Christina Basil, a spokesperson for Highway 407, told CTV News Toronto.
“Unfortunately, fraudulently duplicated plates do happen. 407 ETR will always reverse charges for customers if we can confirm the criminal misuse of their licence plate.”
The car tolled on Highway 407 (left) compared to Obioma Dike's car (right). In situations like this, Basil said customers should report their licence plate as lost or stolen to the police and return the plates to the Ministry of Transportation right away. The ministry added that they encourage drivers to launch formal inquiries when these situations arise.
Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said the fraudster appears to have intentionally chosen a vehicle that almost identically matched the one with the original licence plate.
“The suspect vehicle was in fact trying to impersonate the victim's vehicle,” he said. “That would certainly cause me pause.”
Schmidt said he doesn’t know what the intentions of the driver were in this case, but if they were committing a crime, the licence plate duplicate could be used as a getaway vehicle.
“Obviously this is a concern for everybody,” he said.
While Dike got a new licence plate and is seeking a refund on her bill, she’s still left wondering, “if somebody were to be using my plate number, what else could they be doing with my identity?”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
It could take years to catch up on child vaccinations in Ontario post-pandemic
Ontario is still playing catch up on routine vaccinations that many children missed during the pandemic and public health officials are warning that it could take years to solve the problem.