The situation when the owner of the car leaves the house and discovers that state registration plates have been removed from his property, and a piece of paper with a ransom demand is pressed under the janitor. It has several resolution paths, and the choice of a specific method depends on the car owner.
Who is at risk
Most often, the victims of fraudsters who remove license plates from cars and demand a ransom for them are the owners of vehicles whose state signs are fixed on the simplest bolts unscrewed with a regular screwdriver. Therefore, they should be fastened to secret bolts, which can be removed only with the help of special tools.
Attackers prefer to choose non-local cars, that is, those who came from another city, region or even country, because their owners will face the greatest difficulties in the process of obtaining new license plates and therefore will be more willing to meet halfway. They have no right to move without them. It is easier to demand a ransom from the owners of elite numbers, that is, having the same letters or numbers, since they will not be able to get a duplicate in the future.
The official way to get new numbers
You should not follow the lead of scammers and transfer money to them on an electronic wallet or phone, because such an act will encourage them to commit new crimes, and it is not a fact that they will be honest and still return the numbers. It is necessary immediately upon detecting their absence, call the police and write a statement about the theft. If the vehicle is insured under CASCO insurance, you should inform the representative of the insurance company.
After the police officers issue a decision on the fact of a crime, you need to request from them an appropriate certificate, with which you can already go to the traffic police with a message about the theft of state license plates and an application for the issuance of new ones. The legislation prohibits the issuance of duplicates of old numbers, so you should prepare for the procedure for re-registering a car. Having received a new sign, you should take into account your mistake and fix it on secret bolts.
Some car owners, trying to avoid a long walk through the authorities, do not report the theft to the police, but immediately go to the traffic police with a statement about damage or loss. They do not take into account that fraudsters can not only throw away their license plates, but use them to commit another crime. In this case, there is a risk of becoming involved in a criminal case.
Unofficial return method
Attackers who specialize in the removal of license plates are more likely to do this on a large scale, so the difficulties arising with their storage and transportation are solved as follows: they remove only one plate and hide it nearby. Since driving without even one number can result in a large fine or revocation of your driver's license, it is not necessary to steal both.
The owner who finds the loss must conduct a search of the nearby area in order to find his property. As a rule, he succeeds in this to the fullest: in addition to his own number, he finds two dozen strangers. Common hiding places: basements, driveways, space behind the heating radiator, window slopes, bushes along fences, garage roofs.
