A Toronto man is warning drivers to be careful after his licence plates were duplicated and used in violent crimes and theft throughout the city, which has also resulted in an expensive Highway 407 bill.
Camilo Sanchez says he learned he was a victim of the crime earlier this week, and tells Now Toronto he was unaware of the situation until two detectives showed up to his home.
He says during this interaction, he learned that the plates were being used by the criminals to commit violent crimes and thefts throughout the city.
The crimes that were being committed stretch back months, according to Sanchez. However, the nature of the crimes is unknown.
“They were even asking me questions about where I was in January, February, April…So, they did say it’s been going on for quite a long time,” he said.
Sanchez says he was told criminals often park in front of homes or in a parking lot to take photos of victims’ licence plates to make a copy.
“It’s been a nightmare,” he said.
Sanchez says he immediately went to Service Ontario to obtain new plates but was confronted with a hefty Highway 407 bill that was racked up by the criminals.
“It’s over $1,500 that I apparently owe, so I know that’s not me, and you know I’m not going to be paying that, there’s just no way,” he said.
Due to the bill, he was told that the situation could not be handled until it’s been cleared.
Sanchez says he reached out to the 407 bill collection but was told that a police report must be presented for any fees to be cleared, but with no way of driving to police headquarters in downtown Toronto without potentially getting pulled over and even arrested, he’s been feeling left in the dark.
He says he’s hoping a detective can help him get a report in the meantime, and says with a wedding coming up in September the last thing he needs is more bills.
Social media users have come forward in support of Sanchez, who posted a video about the situation on TikTok, with many sharing similar experiences.
“Same thing happened to my dad, he had his plates for a Honda Civic and they duplicated them and used them on a Honda CRV and racked up parking tickets, absolute nightmare,” a TikTok user said.
“That happened to me in April, they committed (a) crime in Halton Region, they used it on the 407 and got parking tickets too,” another person said.
TORONTO POLICE SAY THERE ARE VERY LITTLE PREVENTION MEASURES
Toronto Police said in a statement to Now Toronto that there is not much a driver can do to prevent duplicate plates.
“If a driver finds that their plate has been duplicated, they should report their plates to police and then attend a Service Ontario location and obtain new plates to prevent further bills or tickets,” the statement said.
Sanchez also agrees that there is very little a driver can do, but is providing some tips that were shared with him by police.
“Set up security cameras if you live at home, if you can park the car inside a garage definitely do that, but stay vigilant,” he said. “I never thought I’d be part of something like this eventually, you’re never too safe.”
