Stealing license plates from cars can be a criminal act or an administrative offense. In a critical situation, it is important not to lose composure. How and where to go if license plates are stolen from a car, what will help you avoid liability for offenses that you did not commit?

The Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, as amended in 2014, criminalizes another type of act - theft of state property. numbers. No car owner is insured against theft or loss of a registration plate. Not a single safety measure or remedy guarantees complete protection for the car enthusiast. They can only significantly reduce the likelihood of such an incident.

In any case, having a car requires its owner to have at least minimal knowledge, which, if necessary, will help take a legally correct position in order to protect himself and his vehicle.

Sanction Art. 325 1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation provides for criminal penalties for theft of car registration plates.

Based on the disposition of the article, theft can pursue two goals:

1. Extorting money from the owner for return.
2. Using them to place them on another machine while committing a crime.

Sometimes, after leaving the car in the parking lot, the returning motorist discovers a note with a phone number in the place of the stolen sign. Over the phone, the criminals offer to transfer a certain amount of money to a bank card in exchange for return. However, complying with the thieves' demands does not guarantee that the stolen goods will be returned.

As practice shows, the first thing to do is to inspect the surrounding area. As a rule, stolen property is hidden not far from the place of theft, since it is not profitable for criminals to keep license plates twisted from someone else’s car.

In this case, the entire anonymity of the scheme with unauthorized SIM cards mobile phones, bank cards, electronic wallets will not help avoid a conviction when catching criminals.

An alternative sanction for committing such a criminal act is provided by the legislator. The perpetrators may be subject to one of several types of punishment - a fine, compulsory or correctional labor, or imprisonment. The size and duration of punishment for general and qualified personnel differ.

The object and subject of the theft of registration plates do not coincide. The object is the state-guaranteed safety of registration plates and the procedure for their issuance. The subject matter is the plates themselves, which are attached to the car.

The objective side is expressed in actions to confiscate an item by any alternative way, contained in the comments to Art. 158 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, issued by law enforcement officials:

• secret seizure;
• obvious appropriation, but eyewitnesses do not realize the illegality of what is happening;
• theft by deception;
• confiscation for breach of trust.

According to the design of the objective side, the composition is formal. All material consequences are outside the scope of the composition. The encroachment is considered completed at the moment of taking possession of the object.

Although responsibility for committing theft begins at the age of 14, the subject of this composition is considered general due to the fact that it is not named in Art. 20 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Part 2 contains an exhaustive list of crimes for which criminal liability begins at the age of 14.

Stealing license plates from a car is only possible intentionally. The subjective side consists of direct, specific intent. The design of the clause is such that removing registration plates from a car becomes a criminal act only if there is selfish interest or an intention to commit another tort. The Criminal Code understands selfish interest as the desire to obtain income or indirect benefit.

Thus, the motive as an optional element of the subjective side becomes constituent and obligatory.

Qualifying characteristics and differentiation from related crimes

Art. 325 1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation in the second paragraph, the qualifying feature provides for the commission of a crime in complicity.

The legislator included an article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation providing for the theft of state. numbers, two types of participation with distribution of roles are indicated:

1. A group of persons by prior conspiracy.
2. Organized group.

Sanctions against qualified personnel have been tightened. This is due to the fact that group torts are the most serious, with a large number of criminal episodes. Often, organized groups are part of criminal syndicates that are engaged in a specific type of criminal activity.

Accordingly, crimes committed by groups cause greater harm to public order.

The issue of distinguishing between related elements is relevant in the work of an investigator or interrogator in the process of qualifying an act. In terms of the subject of the criminal offense, the composition of the criminal act provided for in Art. 326 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

The species and direct objects of adjacent compositions coincide. Subject of the crime Art. 325 1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation is fully covered by the subject of Art. 326, which can be:

• state registration plate;
• VIN or vehicle identification code;
• digital body or chassis code.

Thus, if the items coincide, the distinction between the elements is based on the objective side: counterfeit, sale or destruction in Art. 326, illegal seizure in Art. 325 1.

State theft numbers before the criminalization of the act acquired such a wide scope that one could talk about the so-called sign business. Of course, such a scenario is also possible when the license plates are simply hidden in retaliation against the car owner. In this situation, the perpetrator does not face criminal prosecution, but it will also not be possible to completely escape responsibility if caught.

If you discover a loss, the only correct decision is to contact the nearest police station. The driver is prohibited from using his car with missing license plates, so he cannot go to the police on his own to file a theft report. You need to call a tow truck.

There are two ways to recover lost numbers:

1. Making duplicates.
2. Receiving new numbers.

In the second case you will have to vehicle re-register.

In case of loss of car license plates, the owner has no obligation to re-register his vehicle, since the Rules for Registration of Motor Vehicles do not contain such instructions.

However, by following the path of least resistance and receiving a duplicate, the owner risks being held liable for offenses or even crimes that he did not commit.

For example, attackers can put license plates on another car. All traffic violations recorded by cameras or employees in protocols and addressed to the car owner can be the smallest nuisance.

A much more serious problem may be the situation when criminals commit a serious crime in this car: robbery, vehicle theft, kidnapping or hitting a pedestrian.

Therefore, for their own safety, a driver who has been injured by criminals must report the incident to the police as soon as possible. After this, he will be issued a document recording the fact of loss, and the number itself will fall into the wanted category and will become unavailable for use by criminals.

There is a situation when one number is lost.

The reasons for this situation can be different and not always criminal:

• the license plate simply fell off its mounts on a bad road;
• a bad joke or hooligan act by an ill-wisher;
• collector's desire numbers to replenish your collection;
• In the process of stealing license plates, the criminals were scared away.

On automobile forums you can come across the opinion that the presence of a front sign, albeit one, will deprive the traffic police officer of the right to issue a fine. This is a common misconception. It is prohibited to drive a car even without one sign.

Installation of registration plates is carried out in strict accordance with GOST R 50577-93. According to state According to the standard, plates are installed both in front and behind the vehicle. The legislator has not provided any exceptions to this rule. Accordingly, the absence of one number entails the same legal consequences as driving without both.

To avoid fines, the car owner can, without involving the police, contact a commercial organization to make a duplicate, presenting the remaining number. However, criminals can do the same, and the car owner will have to bear responsibility for what they have done.

Thus, in the event of the loss of only one sign, it is still advisable to notify the competent authorities.

The theft of car license plates from foreign citizens is a common occurrence. This is a desirable target for criminals who demand ransom for the return of stolen property. Criminals demand larger sums from such car owners, citing a more expensive restoration procedure and ignorance of the realities of a foreign country.

In reality, the algorithm of actions for a foreign citizen is similar to the general procedure:

What to do if numbers of another region or city are stolen

Vehicle owners from other regions become victims of criminals who steal state registration plates. signs more often than others. According to the logic of the criminals, this situation for the motorist is complicated by the inability to return to their region to re-register the license plate. This opinion is another misconception, since it is not necessary to return to the place of registration of the vehicle.

The driver's procedure remains unchanged:

• filing an incident report;
• making duplicates in a company providing similar services where the incident occurred;
• re-registration of the vehicle after returning to your region.

The main thing for the victim is not to lose composure, know your rights and be aware of the degree of your own responsibility for taking or avoiding the necessary steps.

The loss of car registration plates can occur not only due to theft, they can simply be lost. The driver will have to inform the police in any case. The car owner decides for himself what reason for the loss to indicate in the application.

When contacting the police, the driver has the right to indicate one of the reasons for the loss of license plates:

1. Theft.
2. Unexplained circumstances, which implies a non-criminal background to the incident.

Drivers often do not file a complaint about the theft of license plates due to the length of the procedure for obtaining new license plates, without which it is impossible to use the car. And although the detection rate of such crimes is low and usually such cases do not become the subject of judicial review, the driver will not be able to use his car until the end of the investigative measures.

For these reasons, drivers most often report loss under unknown circumstances. However, as a result of such decisions, the crime is hidden, allowing this criminal “business” to flourish.

You can report theft to the police in any of the following ways:

• orally;
• in writing.

An application for theft can be written by the victim in his own hand (written method of filing an application) or submitted by signing a protocol (oral method). The protocol is filled out from the words of the victim at the police station by the operational officer on duty. .

In both cases, the application must contain information about the applicant, detailed description circumstances of the theft: time, place, accompanying events, evidence of the ransom demand. The application must contain the essence of the requirement - a request to initiate a criminal case regarding the theft.

When faced with the theft of license plates from a car, the last thing a car enthusiast thinks about is the article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

The main questions asked by the victim relate to the timing and addressees of the appeal:

1. The law does not contain clearly defined time limits for filing a statement of theft, except for the general deadlines for bringing to justice. But since the lack of license plates impedes the operation of the car, it is advisable to submit such an appeal as soon as possible after identifying the loss.
2. A statement of jurisdiction is submitted to the police station nearest to the scene of the event. The operational officer on duty is obliged to accept the citizen’s statement, even if the case is subsequently dismissed for lack of evidence.

Correct and timely contacting the police will help to avoid many problems with the competent authorities later.

Illegal seizure of state numbers are provided for by both criminal and administrative legislation. What makes this act a crime is the presence of grave consequences from its commission, which are not included in the structure of the criminal article.

Punishment for a crime and for an administrative tort is provided for in the relevant articles of the codes - criminal and administrative offenses:

The distinction between criminal and administrative torts is made according to the constituent element of the crime - the motive for committing the act.

Illegal confiscation of plates with a number is prosecuted administratively in the absence of signs of a crime in the act.

In practice, the differentiation process looks like this:

1. In the absence of legal grounds, a person appropriates the registration plates of someone else's car.
2. The pursued goal is hooligan motives, a desire for revenge, or some other reason.

If both elements are present together, the right
the user qualifies the act as an administrative offense. The main thing is that the motives for committing the act do not coincide with those listed in Art. 325 1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. An administrative offense poses a lesser public danger and entails the imposition of an administrative penalty.

Criminal liability was introduced by the legislator relatively recently - in 2014.

The legislator specifies two criteria as grounds for classifying an act as criminal:

• presence of selfish motive;
• intent to commit a grave or especially grave crime.

Criminal liability for unlawful taking of state property. number are attracted when at least one incentive specified in Art. 325 1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Because motive is often difficult to prove, a low percentage of such criminal cases go to trial. Usually everything is limited to administrative punishment.

In addition, the injured drivers themselves, trying to undergo re-registration as soon as possible, do not indicate in their statements the real reason for the loss, citing unclear circumstances. All this significantly reduces the effectiveness of law enforcement officers’ attempts to combat this type of criminal “business” such as the theft of car plates.

In relation to Art. 325 1 The Criminal Code does not provide for the possibility of bringing to criminal liability from the age of 14, as is done in relation to Art. 158 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Coming of age in the Russian Federation occurs at 18 years of age; all minors, from the point of view of the moment of onset of responsibility, can be conditionally divided into two groups:

1. Minors or under 14 years of age.
2. Those who have reached the age of 14 years, but have not reached 16 years of age.
3. Those who have reached the age of 16 years.

Minors are not subject to criminal liability at all. Administrative liability can be applied to minors who have reached 16 years of age. The civil liability of minors differs for minors and those who have reached the age of 14: their legal representatives or parents are responsible for harm caused by minors. Minors over 14 years of age bear civil liability themselves in accordance with the general procedure.

Not reaching the age of 16 at the time of committing the crime allows the perpetrator to avoid the most severe sanctions in the form of imprisonment. When deciding whether to impose a sentence on a minor, the court takes into account the severity of the offense committed, the possibility of correction without criminal liability measures, and the presence of mitigating circumstances.

An important factor is the size of the damage caused. If the theft does not exceed 2.5 thousand rubles, the minor faces only an administrative fine.

After purchasing a car, the owner must be given documents that confirm ownership of the vehicle. Moreover, in these papers, in addition to the make and model of the car, license plates are also indicated. However, it often happens that they are removed directly from the car.

There are different reasons why this situation occurs:

• The hooligans decided to have fun;
• Attackers out to make money;
• Experienced hijackers for their own purposes;
• Neighbors or just acquaintances wanted to annoy the car owner.

Read more about scams

License plates were stolen by professional car thieves

In this case, there is a possibility that the numbers will be used for unlawful purposes.

State signs were twisted for ransom

Most often, numbers are stolen in order to receive a reward in the future. Fraudsters, as a rule, remove them on those machines where owner's phone number. A few hours later, they call their victim and tell them exactly how much they need to pay to return the numbers.

By the way, in some cases, attackers return only one license plate, and again ask for ransom for the other. Some of them may even leave a note under the car wiper with account details where the money should be transferred.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, you don’t need to immediately fulfill all the thieves’ demands. First, look for the numbers yourself, usually scammers hide them next to the vehicle: in the bushes, in the adjacent territory or under the ebb of windows on the ground and first floors. In addition, you can interview passers-by to see if anyone saw the intruder. Another great way to find stolen numbers is to post advertisements everywhere.

The owner of the car became a victim of hooligans

Sometimes state signs are stolen by hooligans who simply have nothing better to do. They twist them and destroy them. In such a situation, there is no need to worry about numbers can be used for fraudulent activities, although anything is possible.

If you discover that there are no license plates, you can make a duplicate, unless no one has demanded a ransom. You should not waste your time searching for those who did this; it is unlikely that you will be able to find them.

In addition, it must be remembered that It's better to drive a car without a rear license plate, than the front one. Therefore, if the hooligans did not touch the rear sign, then it is better to move it forward.

What to do if license plates are stolen from a car?

The first step is to contact the police department. At the police department, the owner will have to draw up a report on the theft of state signs. 10 days after filing the application, the police initiate a criminal case. Wherein The owner of the car should not succumb to various provocations, because often law enforcement officers try to convince him that the license plates were simply lost and not stolen. Usually one application is enough to receive license plates, but sometimes you have to wait more than a week.

Procedure for restoring new numbers

This process is similar to the standard registration of a car, which all vehicle owners are familiar with. First, the car must be inspected on site. For this You can invite a traffic police officer However, you will have to pay for such a service. You can also deliver your car to the observation deck using a tow truck, so as not to risk driving without signs.

After this, the traffic police officer will check the engine and body numbers, and also check the technical condition of the car. If everything is ok then the owner will receive an inspection report, valid for no more than 20 days.

Then you should deregister the car to receive new license plates. For this you will need the following documents:

• Passport;
• Completed application;
• Insurance and technical inspection certificate;
• Receipts confirming payment of state duty.

You may also need a resolution to refuse to initiate criminal proceedings, a notification coupon and a power of attorney if you are not the owner of the car.

Of course, it’s better to make photocopies of all the listed papers at once, so that you don’t have to run around the shops looking for a printer. Among other things, you will have to write an explanatory note explaining why the numbers are missing. Of course, if one sign remains, then it must be submitted. Stolen state signs will be wanted. A few hours after submitting all the documents, the car owner is given license plates, as well as a new inspection certificate and a vehicle passport with changes.

Financial losses when re-registering license plates

Of course, the first thing you will have to do is pay the state fee for issuing new license plates, which currently amounts to about 2 thousand rubles. The driver will then be forced to pay 500 rubles to register his vehicle.

More you will need to spend 350 rubles just for adding it to the registration certificate some changes. It is also necessary to take into account small expenses, for example, powers of attorney, photocopies of documents and public transport.

Of course, every owner, when he discovers a car without license plates, arrives in a state of shock, so he tries to reduce costs when replacing state signs and other documents. But unfortunately, this is impossible to do.

Creating duplicates

Now, to receive new signs, it is not necessary to undergo re-registration; it is enough to make a duplicate of the number. Although this was previously illegal, and such signs were considered fake. The driver could even lose his license because of them.

Many drivers whose license plates have been stolen prefer to duplicate them, since such a procedure is inexpensive, and it only takes about 10-60 minutes etc. In addition, you do not need to collect a huge package of documents, you only need to prepare:

• Driver's license or passport;
• Notification coupon;
• Certificate of state registration.

Duplicates of stolen state signs are made at the traffic police MREO. However, this procedure has only one drawback, which can be seen by overly suspicious motorists who are left without license plates: fraudsters can use them for criminal purposes.

Driving a car without state signs

Drivers should know what to do if license plates are stolen from a vehicle. Always remember, driving without them is a serious violation of the law. The fine for such an offense currently it can reach up to 5 thousand rubles, and not as before - 500. Sometimes traffic police officers take away your license for driving without license plates, so it’s better not to risk it. Moreover, it has become much easier to restore them, and the procedure does not take much time.

Quite often, criminals choose to steal signs from cars owned by government officials, as well as simply beautiful license plates. They can get more money for them, because no one wants to talk about it, so they transfer the declared amount to the thieves.

Often scammers remove license plates from cars of another state or region, counting on the fact that the driver will not travel thousands of kilometers to obtain new plates.

How to prevent number theft?

Motorists who are faced with re-registration of signs take all possible safety measures to avoid this in the future. Mostly hooligans steal those signs which are the easiest to unscrew. This is why you should avoid using plastic frames because they make it quite easy to remove the signs without using any tools.

It is advisable to screw the number plates to the frame with self-tapping screws or bolts. To remove them, a fraudster will need at least a screwdriver and more time. But it is best to use special rivets to protect the numbers, since you will need a hand drill or screwdriver to unscrew them. Trespassers with tools will attract too much attention to themselves, so they are unlikely to decide to steal.

If you don't want to be left without license plates, then the car should be parked or install video cameras in the yard.

In conclusion, I would like to note that no security measure can protect a car owner from losing license plates; it can only reduce the likelihood of their theft. Therefore, every driver must know what to do in such situations and more.

What to do if license plates are stolen from a car?

In modern times, unfortunately, theft of car license plates has become increasingly common. Therefore, it is worth knowing what to do if the license plates are stolen from your car. First of all, you should understand that the fact of number theft is fraud. They commit such crimes out of a momentary whim, or in an effort to get a ransom for the numbers, or, even worse, use them for fraud.

The license plate has disappeared, what to do in 2019

The registration plate that was issued to the car by the state can be restored in several ways:

1. To replace the missing number, make a similar one. These cases are handled by companies whose job is to make duplicates.
2. Go through the registration procedure with the traffic police again,

Each of the above options has its own disadvantages and advantages. Therefore, before choosing one of them over the other, you should think about it and determine the most suitable option for yourself.

What is the process of producing a duplicate?

Back in 2016, the Government of the Russian Federation made adjustments to the Legislative documents that will help a person find out how to get new numbers. It was noted that in case of loss of the license plate, the owner of the vehicle can order a duplicate with the help of specialized companies. It is worth understanding that not all institutions have the right to issue numbers issued by the state, but only those that have permission to do so.

In 2019, the process of producing a number does not take much time. The entire procedure can last from half an hour to two hours. As for the price, it ranges from 2 thousand rubles. up to 3 thousand rubles. In order to start producing a new number, companies providing such a service require a person to provide a document proving his identity or, as an option, a license and registration certificate for the vehicle, as well as all copies of the listed documents. There are situations when companies may additionally require the writing of a statement in which a person indicates that if something happens, he will not open a criminal case against the company.

IMPORTANT!!! This method, has a very significant drawback. The fact is that if the license plate was not just lost, but was stolen, then for the purpose of fraud, the persons who committed this crime will use the number to make a profit. As an example: having a stolen number in their hands, fraudsters can use it to steal another vehicle, and, of course, the person to whom the vehicle number was registered will be held accountable before the law.

What is the process for re-registration of a vehicle?

If the owner of the car is sure that the license plates were stolen and he did not lose them somewhere, then he has the right to re-register his car. Upon completion this process, he will be given new numbers, and the previous ones will immediately be entered into the search database.

To begin the process of re-registering a car, a person must first go to the police and there file a statement that the license plate has disappeared and they have left a phone number for ransom.

Such a statement can take several forms:

1. About the missing license plate. It takes approximately 10 days to study the application, only after which a person can visit the traffic police department and receive new license plates.
2. About the loss of license plate. This type of application immediately entitles a person to receive a ticket, with which he is immediately sent to the traffic police. Is it possible to travel without a license plate? A coupon is a person’s official right to drive a vehicle without a license plate. If you meet inspectors along the road, they will not have the right to issue a fine to the driver.

Where should I go to purchase new license plates?

To obtain a new license plate, the driver must go to the traffic police. The whole process goes quite quickly. The owner of the vehicle comes with a collected set of documents, fills out an application and pays the state fee. After just a couple of days, he is given new numbers and a PTS, in which changes have been made and a copy, which includes all the information about the registration of the vehicle.

Required set of documents for the traffic police:

1. Driver's identification document.
2. Vehicle registration certificate.
3. Car insurance policy.
4. Certificate of vehicle registration.
5. An application indicating the request for re-registration of the vehicle.
6. A receipt confirming payment of the state duty.

ATTENTION!!! The cost of the procedure is approximately 2500 thousand rubles. Of these, 2000 thousand rubles. goes directly to a new license plate, and the remaining 500 rubles. - these are the costs of a new car certificate.

Factors according to which numbers are stolen

The police have established a number of reasons why license plates are removed from vehicles.

Among them:

1. Ransom. If the fraudster aims to obtain a ransom for the number, he leaves a note with the number to call. After the call, the owner of the vehicle learns how much money is being asked for the return of the numbers. The ransom amount can be either 2 thousand rubles or 5 thousand rubles. Statistics show that the so-called “beautiful” numbers are stolen.
2. Fraud. Fraudsters steal license plates in order to steal another car and put them on it.
3. Petty hooliganism. Ordinary neighborhood boys can also steal numbers simply on a whim.
4. To add to a rare collection of automobile signs. The license plates are attached to the car very carefully; the thief’s main goal is to preserve their integrity. Oddly enough, there are people who collect license plates, and they are not at all attracted by the fact of redemption. It’s just important for them to have a number that has rare signs.

What precautions should you take to avoid becoming a victim of license plate theft?

To protect themselves and not risk their license plates, car owners can resort to the following recommendations:

1. Install a frame for protection. You can purchase such products at the car market. The price for them is approximately a couple of thousand rubles. The entire design is based on the presence of four bolts, which protect the number.
2. Use bolts with rare threads. If hooligans or scammers try to remove the license plate from the car, they will face a serious problem. They need to act quickly in such situations, and they will not waste time choosing the right screwdriver.
3. Use of a garage or paid parking. Of course, only a closed garage or a watchman can guarantee the safety of the car. But what to do if there is perhaps no such thing? Then, you should just leave your car on the street, which is well illuminated by street lights or in places where people often walk, even at night.

Investigation process

Unfortunately, most cases involving the theft of license plates remain unsolved. This is due to the fact that vehicle owners themselves do not want to waste their personal time and go to the police to write statements. They simply contact the traffic police, where they fill out a statement that the number was simply lost due to their carelessness.

But, if, nevertheless, there was a person who did not spare his time and went to the police station to investigate the theft of his number, only 10 days are allotted to identify the offense. If, during this period of time, the thief was not found, then the case is closed, and the driver has the right to receive new license plates. Cases of theft of license plates are considered extremely difficult to solve, since it is very rarely possible to find any traces of a swindler at the scene of the theft.

What responsibility will the thief bear?

If during the investigation it was possible to get on the trail of a fraudster or hooligan, he is prescribed a punishment based on the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, Article 325:

1. If, after the number was stolen, a fraudster or hooligan demanded ransom for it cash, then the punishment for them will be either imprisonment for 15 days, or payment of a fine of 2 thousand rubles. up to 5 thousand rubles
2. If, after the theft of the numbers, any fraud was carried out with their participation, then the fraudster will be fined in the amount of 200 thousand rubles. or imprisonment for 4 years.

What actions should I take if I demand money for a room?

Very often, after the license plate is stolen, the fraudster immediately calls within a few hours and sets the ransom amount. Or, he leaves a number that the owner of the car needs to call himself. How to act in this situation? The decision is up to the owner.

He can pay the ransom and hope that the scammer will actually return the number after payment. But, as a rule, decency and a thief are two incompatible things. So, it is almost pointless to expect that the license plate from the car will soon return to its owner. After the call, it is difficult to identify the scammer, since basically he calls from someone else’s SIM card, and asks to leave money in one place or another, where, as a rule, there are almost no people. There may be another option: the thief will ask you to transfer money to, again, a stolen card.

IMPORTANT!!! It is better, when demanding a ransom, to ask for help from the police, and as evidence, give them the note left by the fraudster (if there is one), or simply write a statement in which you should indicate that the license plates were stolen and a ransom is being demanded for them.

Based on the frequent theft of license plates, the police have drawn up some recommendations that should be resorted to immediately as soon as the fact of license plate theft has been established:

1. It is necessary to assess the perimeter where the stolen sign may be located. As a rule, it does not go beyond the parking lot or the yard where the car is parked.
2. You should carefully examine the places where it is convenient to hide numbers. This could be a garbage container, bushes near the road, a pipe, or a very ordinary gap between steps or a curb. It is worth considering that, if necessary and desired, the license plate can be rolled into a tube or folded in half.
3. Assess the weather. If the theft took place in winter, then you should understand that there are more places to hide the number, and thanks to the snow, you can even find traces of the fraudster.
4. Imagine the road along which the criminal retreated. Most likely, the thief will hide the number along the road he chose for retreat.
5. Get help from neighbors and family. If the theft of a license plate occurred in the yard where its owner lives, then you can try asking your neighbors and friends, maybe they saw someone.

Which cars are most likely to have their license plates stolen?

Absolutely any car can become a victim of a thief. But, as a rule, license plates are stolen from certain categories of cars:

1. Vehicles with beautiful license plates. Thieves understand perfectly well that for an unusual car sign, the owner, in any case, will be ready to pay the amount of money they named.
2. Cars from abroad or cars whose registration marks belong to other regions of Russia. In this case, the thief is also sure that he will definitely be paid the ransom he demands.

The theft of registration numbers that were issued to the car owner by the state is extremely common. And not a single car owner is immune from this. The first action of a person who has been subjected to the actions of scammers should be to contact the traffic police for its re-registration. And in order to prevent the theft of license plates, you need to take care of their reliable protection, using special grilles for this and leaving your car in a garage or on brightly lit streets.

Each vehicle must have its own identification. For this purpose, there are license plates, which are a certain combination of numbers and letters.

The car has license plates on the front and back. However, time shows that they often become the prey of attackers.

Therefore, what to do if the license plates have been removed from the car?

In this article:

Why do they take license plates off a car?

There are two main reasons for this. The first of these is receiving a ransom. In this way, scammers want to make money from gullible car enthusiasts. In addition, license plates are also removed in order to be used for criminal purposes.

And this is much more serious, since the owner of the car will be the first to be hit. After all, representatives of law enforcement agencies will immediately come to him. And then he must explain why another car drives with his license plates.

Therefore, as soon as in the morning a motorist discovers his vehicle without license plates, he must begin to act in order to correct the situation.

Number plates stolen from a car: what to do?

First of all, the police should be called to the scene. Indeed, recently the theft of license plates has been considered a criminal act, which is punishable under Article 325.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. This provision provides for both a fine of 200 thousand rubles and imprisonment for a year.

However, before law enforcement officers arrive, you can explore the surrounding area yourself. After all, stolen license plates are often hidden somewhere nearby (snow drifts, heaps of garbage, etc.).

After a statement has been written to the police, and the theft of license plates has been documented, you should contact the traffic police department in order to obtain new license plates.

This will essentially entail re-registration of the car. According to the most conservative estimates, it will cost its owner two and a half thousand rubles. However, each case may be individual.

To receive new numbers, you must write an application. In addition, you need to have your passport, all documents for the car, driver's license, insurance, as well as documentary evidence of the theft of license plates.

Of course, many car enthusiasts prefer to order duplicates instead of stolen license plates. This is cheaper, but there is a risk that problems may arise. After all, a “double” will drive on the roads, which is not insured against accidents and other troubles. Then the first claims will also be addressed to the actual owner of the numbers.

Is it possible to drive without license plates?

When a license plate has been removed from a car, its owner often has a question: is it possible to drive without it? We answer immediately, it is impossible.

Otherwise, liability may follow as provided for in part two of Art. 12.2 Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation. It may include both a fine and deprivation of a driver’s license for a certain period of time. However, this is a topic for a separate article.

Therefore, if the license plates have been removed from the car, it is better to reduce movement on it to a minimum. When there is a need to issue new license plates, it is better to deliver the car to the traffic police on a tow truck.

If thieves offer to buy the numbers, then it is better to think everything over in detail. It would also be a good idea to take advantage of legal advice, which can be obtained for free online. After all, the specialist has many successful cases of stealing license plates in his baggage.

It should also be added that the driver himself can protect the license plates of his car from theft. For this purpose, special fastenings are used, which make the removal of license plates extremely difficult. In addition, the risk of losing license plates is significantly reduced if you place your car in a guarded parking lot.

Sound familiar? According to some data, almost every fifth car owner in our country has encountered this. In general, of course, after , which came into force last year, the situation with the theft of numbers in Russia became much better. Plus, the tightening of liability for the theft of state license plates, which was adopted by the State Duma, somewhat corrected the situation. But it's not that simple.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate, which became known to us, thefts are still widespread. Why new order Doesn't registering cars with the State Traffic Inspectorate take away the meaning of stealing license plates? Indeed, since last year, in the event of loss or theft of a license plate(s), the owner of a vehicle may not contact the traffic police authorities, but can contact a specialized company that is allowed to produce duplicate license plates.

Why do they steal license plates?

The thing is that many car owners, in case of theft, are careful not to contact such companies to produce duplicate registration plates, and in the “old fashioned way” they contact the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate with a statement about the loss of the license plate. Thus, the owner of a car whose license plate was stolen protects himself from possible problems related to the illegal use of a stolen license plate, since if a duplicate is made without reporting the crime to law enforcement agencies, difficulties may arise with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, who will have to prove that the number was previously stolen. For example, it is not uncommon for license plates to be stolen to commit a crime on a car.

They take advantage of this situation by continuing to steal license plates. Knowing that most owners prefer to report theft of registration plates, criminals steal license plates for ransom. After all, in case of filing a complaint about theft, the owner will have to go through a difficult procedure, re-registering the car with the traffic police and obtaining new license plates.

Moreover, it is necessary to pay the state fee for registration actions and pay for new numbers. That's why the thefts continue. The only plus is that the ransom amount for a stolen number has become much smaller. If previously criminals extorted from 1,500 to 5,000 rubles, now they mostly demand no more than 1,500-2,000 rubles.

- Receipt of payment of the state fee for registration actions + copy

The vehicle must be submitted to the State Traffic Inspectorate for visual inspection and verification of identification numbers.

After issuing, making changes to the PTS and registration certificate, you must contact the insurance company to enter data on the new numbers. In particular, do not forget to contact where you passed to change the database of license plates of your car.

In addition to the theft of Russian car license plates, it is recorded on cars that are registered in the territory of other states. The thing is that criminals are aware that if a foreign license plate is lost, it will be very difficult for the owner of the car to restore the plates. Therefore, the ransom amount that the criminals demand from the owner of a car with foreign license plates is several times higher than the amount they demand for Russian license plates. Unfortunately, most foreign citizens pay huge sums of money to criminals and thereby create meaning for the criminal activities of criminals.

Despite the fact that many foreign citizens are aware of the theft of license plates, many do not know what to do if their foreign license plates go missing. The first step is to report the theft to the police. Next, get a certificate of theft of numbers in. But, unfortunately, it is not possible to restore foreign license plates at the State Traffic Inspectorate. To do this, you need to contact your embassy in the Russian Federation.

How else can you protect yourself from license plate theft?

Of course, it is not possible to completely insure yourself against theft of license plates. But it is possible to reduce the risk of number theft. To do this you need:

1. Park your car in a crowded place

2. Leave the car in a guarded parking lot or in a lighted parking lot

3. Buy a special anti-vandal license plate mount

4. Check the license plate fasteners for signs of twisting.

5. Do not leave the car unattended if you are far from home

6. Prepare a set of duplicate license plates in advance (this way you will avoid, in case of theft of the license plate, a ban on driving on the road without a license plate).

In conclusion, we would like to note that the Ministry of Internal Affairs does not always quickly issue a certificate of theft. In some cases you have to wait up to 7 days. In this case, according to current legislation, you are prohibited from operating a vehicle without a license plate (or plates).

Therefore, we advise all vehicle owners to have a duplicate license plate. So, in the event of the theft of a car’s license plate, you will install duplicates and will be able to drive the car until you receive a certificate of theft. Next, go to the Traffic Police, having previously removed duplicate license plates, and re-register the car, receiving new license plates.

Also remember that, despite the re-registration of the car, which can cost much more, do not agree to the conditions of the criminals if you are extorted money for returning the license plate.