Private number plates are ever more popular, as everyone is looking for that special, cherished number plate. For that reason the number of companies selling private plates has absolutely exploded. Advertisements on the internet and in classifieds are too many to mention, but not all of these sellers are reliable.

One of the biggest problems is that some sellers on the internet, list very rare plates at low prices. Rare plates can be incredibly expensive, ranging from £500 each to £500,000 each so the temptation to buy ‘F 1’ for your Ferrari at a cut-down price is understandable. Trouble is, having spent hundreds or thousands of pounds to ‘purchase’ the plate, many people simply don’t hear from the seller again.

It is easy for fraudulent sellers to pull this off, because a website can be run from any country and still appear ‘local’ with a ‘co.uk’ address. Since laws allowing the prosecution of fraudulent transactions differ from country to country, a website hosted in a country with a different legal system can be virtually immune to prosecution.

For buyers of private number plates the dangers are evident, and it can be very difficult to determine which sellers are genuine. One sure way is to buy directly from the DVLA Personalised Registrations website, where genuine DVLA registrations are easily searchable. It is also a good idea to look for classifieds in reputable motoring magazines, as these are likely to be vetted beforehand. Finally find out which companies participate in DVLA auctions regularly; if a company is clearly paying for plates, they are likely to offer the genuine article.