'I was wrongly convicted without even knowing - I can't get my head around it'

When Anita received a letter claiming she owed hundreds of pounds for speeding fines she knew nothing about, she couldn't make sense of it.

Confused, the 31-year-old replied, telling the courts she had no idea where the fines had come from and telling them she couldn't afford to pay. Enforcement officers came back with more information - on two occasions she had been caught speeding in a Volvo, they said. The only problem was, Anita doesn't own a Volvo. And it wasn't her behind the wheel.

She later came to learn she had been caught up in what is known as a 'notice of prosecution (NIP) farm' - cons where individuals try to avoid offences like these by filling in the details of an innocent person. Often, the victim is unaware they have been framed, and may not realise until they have received points on their licence and fines.

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"I was none the wiser until earlier this year when I received a letter in the post to say I owed just short of £1,000," Anita, not her real name, told the Manchester Evening News. "I got in touch with the courts who had sent the letter, and they said they were for driving offences which I knew nothing about.

"But they said they were being instructed by Greater Manchester Police and couldn't do anything."

Anita found out multiple cases had progressed through court without her knowledge, resulting in fines totalling nearly £800 being issued to her and six points being placed on her licence. In one case, the offender had paid a fine and signed for points on her behalf - something GMP described as 'highly unusual' in a NIP farm case.

Concerned, she reached out to GMP and was visited by two officers at her home in July. She claims the officers told her the offences would 'probably keep happening' but that there was 'nothing they could do'. GMP says the officers followed the correct procedure as police are unable to interfere at this stage of court proceedings.

Worried and dissatisfied with the police response, Anita continued to reach out to GMP. She eventually reached someone from Specialist Protective Services, who told her there was a third offence due to be heard in court in September. If she was successfully prosecuted this time, Anita could have risked losing her licence.

"I was just completely flabbergasted," she told the M.E.N. "I don't understand how this can happen. The first time I ever heard of any of these offences is when I was being chased for money."

Anita, a single mother, said she came within inches of 'driving around disqualified with my kids in the car'. She has also seen a huge hike in the cost of her car insurance - going from £120 per month to £260.

She has now been cleared of all offences, and had a clean licence restored. But she said she 'still can't get my head around' what happened to her.

Anita believes she was targeted by someone she knows who used her details. But individuals can be targeted if they have personal details stolen through hacks or a physical ID falling into the wrong hands.

Police told the Manchester Evening News that when the real offender received letters outlining the offences they 'nominated' Anita as the driver of the vehicle, giving a bogus address for her. All future communication was sent to this false address, which the offender had access to. When the fixed penalty notices were not paid the cases progressed to court, leaving Anita legally responsible but none the wiser.

GMP said Anita's case was 'complex' and their officers went 'above and beyond' to assist her once they were able to.

"Anita had in total five offences in Greater Manchester," court presentation officer Mike Arden told the Manchester Evening News. "They were dealt with as soon as we knew about them.

"In one case the individual (responsible) paid the fine and signed for the points on Anita's behalf, which is highly unusual," he added. "Two of the other cases had gone to court because nobody paid the Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs).

"The notice went to the bogus address and Anita did not receive them. She did not appear at court so the court dealt with her in her absence. She was fined £400 for each case and given two lots of three points.

"The court has access to other systems where they found Anita's real address and started chasing her. This is when she became aware. Anita is a NIP victim."

Enforcement officers found Anita's correct address and sent her a letter. It was this letter that uncovered the situation, which had been going on without her knowledge, to her.

Through trying to make sense of the situation, she was made aware of the third offence, which had yet to be heard at court. She notified GMP, and officers attended at the hearing, where all her offences were cleared.

Anita told the Manchester Evening News she is now in the process of reporting the individual she believes to be responsible to the police.

Greater Manchester Police are focused on tackling the issue of NIP farms in the region.

In a statement, Chief Inspector Ronnie Neilson from GMP’s Specialist Operations Branch said: “As the national lead in this area we are targeting offenders robustly who are still intent on using this system to ensure we can bring them to justice swiftly as it continues to be a concern.

“Hundreds of drivers are repeatedly being hauled and prosecuted through the courts in Greater Manchester, receiving a range of outcomes from fines to licenses being revoked.

“At the heart of all this action from our dedicated team is to ensure the victim receives the necessary support, as we understand the distress being caught up in this type of scam can have when your details are used irresponsibly.

“Our work in this area is always evolving to eradicate the risk NIP Farms carry. Through enforcement we are ultimately changing driver behaviour to such offences that can be committed on the road network to ensure everyone can remain safe.”