Want a set of false number plates? You can walk into an embossing shop and get a set made with no paperwork required and no records kept.

Meanwhile, the SA Number Plate Association (Sana) says its pleas to regulate the industry keep falling on deaf ears while the numbers of cloned plates in the country increase.

The association receives numerous queries each month to help police trace embossers of number plates on stolen vehicles or on getaway cars used in hijackings and cash-in-transit heists. Cloned number plates are also sought by motorists wanting to avoid traffic fines...