DVLA exposes over 130 suspected cloned vehicles in anti-fraud crackdown

The Chief Executive Officer of the DVLA, Julius Neequaye Kotey, has stated that a lot of vehicles moving around have been handed over to the Customs Division for further investigations as part of efforts to clamp down on duty evasion and strengthen the country's vehicle registration process.

His comment follows an interception by the DVLA which revealed more than 130 vehicles suspected to have been cloned or registered using fraudulent customs documents following the introduction of a new digital vehicle inspection system.

Speaking in an interview with JoyNews on Friday, July 24,2026, Kotey said the newly deployed cloning detection machines have significantly improved the authority's ability to identify vehicles with altered or duplicated chassis numbers before they are registered.

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"The machine now gives us the history of the chassis number from the manufacturer to date. Whether the car has been involved in an accident or not, it gives us all these," he said.

According to him, the technology forms part of the DVLA's wider digital transformation programme, which is aimed at modernising its operations, improving transparency and reducing fraud within the vehicle registration system.

Kotey explained that investigations have uncovered a scheme in which some individuals use forged or copied customs documents to register vehicles that have not paid the required import duties. He said some offenders allegedly work with people within the system to obtain copies of genuine customs documents before using the information to clone the identities of other vehicles.

"They use that photocopy, that chassis number on it, to clone the car that has not paid duty and come and register it first. When you, the original owner, now come to us, it becomes problematic," he explained.

He disclosed that the authority has been operating a temporary arrangement with the Customs Division to allow owners of affected vehicles to regularise their duty payments. However, he stressed that the grace period will end once the digital system is fully rolled out.

Kotey warned that anyone caught registering vehicles without paying the required duties will face prosecution, describing the practice as a criminal offence.

"Henceforth, when we arrest you, we'll prosecute you. Because it's a criminal offence. That level of amnesty is over," he stated.

The DVLA says the ongoing digital reforms are expected to improve the integrity of Ghana's vehicle registration system by ensuring that only properly documented vehicles are registered while making it more difficult for fraudsters to exploit loopholes.

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