CLOSING THE NET ON USED CAR FRAUD

HPI supports calls to improve protection for consumers

 

Vehicle information expert, HPI, supports calls this week from the Association of
Chief Police Officers (ACPO) to increase the amount of available data that can be
used to clamp down on car cloning.  Cloning is the vehicle equivalent of identity
fraud where the stolen vehicle is illegally disguised as a similar vehicle already
on the road. HPI already plays an active role in working with the police to help
solve vehicle crime, and is the only vehicle provenance check provider to include a
guarantee that covers buying a clone, safeguarding consumers and the motor trade
against fraudulent activity.

 

HPI is joining forces with ACPO and the Association of Chief Police Officers Vehicle
Crime Intelligence Service (AVCIS), to see what more can be done to prevent cloning.
Alan Bishop, Industry Relations Director of HPI explains: “Together, we are always
reviewing ways we can work with VOSA and the DVLA to see how we can share
information to prevent vehicle fraud and stem the growth of cloned vehicles.”

 

HPI has access to an unrivalled level of information from a range of sources
including the NPIA (National Policing Improvements Agency), DVLA (Driver and Vehicle
Licensing Agency), DVA (Driver and Vehicle Agency Northern Ireland), Society of
Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), finance companies, the Association of
British Insurers (ABI), local government and the motor trade.  HPI’s National
Mileage Register holds more than 125 million mileage readings on making it the most
comprehensive mileage database in the UK.

 

Continues Alan Bishop: “We already hold and utilise a wealth of information to
responsibly help used car buyers make an informed decision.  The more information we
have to assist in the verification process, the greater power we have to combat
cloners.

 

“Despite ongoing warnings of the threat of car cloning, buyers are more at risk from
used car criminals than ever before. Crooks are using new, sophisticated methods to
clone vehicles and swindle the unsuspecting out of their cash. With this in mind, it
is essential that HPI continues to work with the police and the motor trade, to help
the government create a system that pulls together data intelligence and squeezes
out fraudsters and protects consumers.”

 

The HPI Check protects buyers with the HPI Guarantee(3). This provides up to £30,000
financial reimbursement in the event of the car not being everything it seems –
including a clone.  

Visit www.hpicheck.com or call 01722 422 422

    

      HPI’S TOP TIPS TO AVOID A CLONE

       

      One - Location: If you’re buying privately, make sure you view it at the
registered keepers address (as shown on the V5/logbook).

       

      Two – Provenance:  Always check the provenance of the car. One vital check the
buyer can do is to find all the VIN/chassis numbers on the vehicle to make
sure they match, and then use the HPI Check to ensure they tally with the
registration number of the vehicle.

       

      Three – Documents: Check the vehicle’s V5/logbook. Stolen V5 documents are
currently being used to accompany cloned vehicles but the HPI Check includes a
unique stolen V5 document check as standard.  This will confirm whether or not
the document is one that the DVLA have recorded as stolen.

       

      Four – Price:  Know the car’s market value. If you are paying more than 30%
below the retail market value, then be on your guard. No genuine seller will
want to lose money on their sale.

       

      Five – Payment:  Don’t pay with a substantial amount of cash, particularly if
the car is costing you more than £3,000. Some cloners will take a bankers
draft as part payment, because the cash part is sufficient profit without ever
cashing the bankers draft. Most crooks selling cloned cars would rather walk
away from a sale than take a payment that could be traced back to them.
Despite strong advice to buyers to pay via the banking system, HPI still hear
of many buyers who go on to pay in cash and subsequently find out that the car
is a clone, and that they’ve lost both their money and the vehicle.