How to protect car numbers from thieves?

A thief who swiped license plates off your car probably won't demand a serious ransom. But is it worth it to go on about the criminals? Moreover, following simple tips, you can protect the numbers yourself from theft.

The calculation of the attackers is simple: since to change the number you need to contact special government agencies, the owner of the car is more likely to give the thieves a small amount of money, just to avoid paperwork. The amount of the ransom is usually low - 200–300 hryvnia. And more and more often, thieves leave an email address instead of a phone number on notes, since the call can be traced. Particularly arrogant, without a drop of shame, immediately leave details for the transfer of funds. If earlier the transfer of money was the most delicate moment, then the possibility of a quick transfer of money made this type of crime especially popular.

The first thing you can try to do is look for a number in the "neighborhood". Often thieves hide rented numbers nearby, then they do not need to spend money on delivery, and they themselves will not light up. But the chances of success are 50/50. Searches can be started from the nearest buildings within a block radius. You can inspect any accessible places hidden from ordinary view, for example, behind garages or under window tides on the first floors. There were cases when numbers were found in sandboxes on playgrounds.

It also does not hurt to contact the police about the fact of the theft of registration numbers. Most of the victims do not do this, as they value time more than a set of hundreds of hryvnias. But if the ransom is paid, you give impunity to the scammers, and encourage them to further theft of numbers and other manipulations with other people's cars. But thieves could be caught and punished.

If the license plates could not be found, there are three options left: pay the ransom to the thieves and hope for the return of the numbers, contact the MREO for re-registration, or make a duplicate of the numbers.

Duplicate numbers are made in case of loss or damage of license plates, as well as in case of their theft. But you should not immediately run to the MREO, because they do not issue numbers to replace stolen or lost ones. The maximum that you will be offered is to re-register the car and replace all documents, including the issuance of new license plates. This procedure is time consuming and entails the change of many other documents. Therefore, in many large cities there are companies that provide services for duplicate license plates. License plates issued by such firms comply with state standards and have all the necessary protection systems: a manufacturer's stamp, reflective film, holograms.

If you do not have time to wait for your application to the police to be considered, you can also contact the nearest MREO to have your car inspected by a specialist and receive a certificate called: "Conclusion of a specialist on a comprehensive study of the vehicle." Such an inspection will cost 200 hryvnia, and the conclusion is drawn up on the spot. With this paper, you can contact a company that manufactures duplicates of lost license plates. The cost of such a service ranges from 260 to 500 hryvnia.

In the margins, we note that there is a minus in ordering duplicate license plates: the attackers keep the old numbers, which means that the exact same numbers may end up on another car. In the event of an accident involving a "double", you will have to answer. And therefore, one cannot escape from an official statement to law enforcement agencies. If the police can't find the license plates within 10 days, you will be issued a no-prosecution order. With this decision, you apply to the MREO, where your car will be checked against various bases to confirm that it is not wanted. Next, your car will be re-registered, and you will be given new numbers and a registration certificate.

• Pay attention to the mounting of license plates. Instead of the usual ties and bolts, we recommend securing the number with secret bolts. These bolts are sold at any auto shop. To unscrew such bolts, you need a special key, which an attacker may not have at hand. Such bolts should be tightened using wide rubber washers, which will not allow you to pull out the car number with the roots.
• Another option is to stick numbers on a large number of bolts and nuts in the hope that the thief will not want to mess with such protection.
• You can replace the standard fastening of numbers with special metal frames that fix the number on both sides with special screws in the kit. Such frames do not allow you to get close to the bumper mount and the frame itself. This is the most practical option for protecting rooms at an affordable price. As practice shows, thieves do not even try to mess with such fasteners.
• You can also try to fix the number with the help of double-sided tape, which is pasted on the reverse side over the entire surface of the sign. Having fixed the number in this way, it will be very difficult to remove it.

How to solve the problem of stolen numbers is up to you. But we advise you to act within the law. Then you will save yourself from further problems. And remember that such crimes will stop only if the owners of the cars stop paying ransoms to the attackers.