Every year the number of traffic cameras increases, which leads to an increase in the number of “chain letters” sent to motorists in Russia for violations recorded by these devices. A representative of the traffic police revealed some of the methods by which cunning drivers try to avoid fines for violations caught on camera.

One way is to draw up a fictitious purchase and sale agreement. After this, the owner of the car informs the traffic police that he is no longer its owner and asks to deregister it. Thus, the car actually disappears from the databases of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and its owner avoids possible automatic fines.

Another scenario involves setting up shell companies to register cars. When one of these companies receives too many fines, the scammers open a new company and transfer all assets to it. According to the law, fines are not transferred to the new company, but are cancelled.

Hiding license plates on some car models, such as using a tow bar, is another common method used by drivers. Despite possible serious consequences, such as fines of up to 5,000 rubles or deprivation of a driver’s license, many still resort to this technique.

Another method is to artificially age the numbers and letters on license plates using sandblasting equipment, which makes the registration numbers invisible to cameras.

The traffic police emphasized that such actions by motorists are illegal, and sooner or later cunning drivers come to the attention of traffic police inspectors, which can lead to deprivation of rights or even criminal liability.