How To Avoid A Cloned Car

Honest John adds to AVCIS advice on how to avoid a cloned car

In difficult
financial times, bargains may be found by buying a vehicle privately; however,
it is imperative that you make as many checks as possible before committing to
purchasing a second-hand car.

If the deal
seems too good to be true, then it probably is, so take time to consider all
the facts. AVCIS (the Association of Police Officers Vehicle Crime Intelligence
Service), has devised these top tips to ensure your purchase is a safe one.

Do Your Research

Once you have
decided what type of car you want to buy, search online using sites like http://www.autotrader.co.uk or in other local
and specialist second hand car magazines to find out the model’s going price.

Contact the
Seller

Write down a
list of questions you want to ask, such as, how long has the seller owned the
car, does the car have a recent MOT, is it taxed and if it has been involved in
accidents in the past. Are there any supporting documents, service invoices
etc.

Check the Car

When you view
the car being sold privately, make sure that:

• The address
where you are viewing the car is the same as the registration document.

• Ask to see the
registration, V5C logbook, the car’s service record and MOT certificate. Honest
John adds: Ask to see the vendor’s driving licence and car insurance
certificate to cross-check. Ask to see council tax bills, a couple of utilities
bills, banks statements, etc. to make sure the vendor actually lives at the
house.

• Ensure that
the V5C logbook correctly describes the model, make, engine number and colour
of the vehicle. 

• If the windows
of the vehicle are etched, is the number the same as on the registration plate. 

• Is the VIN number
on the V5 the same as the VIN plate (usually found in the engine compartment,
and near the floorpan

often by the
drivers seat under a flap in the carpet). Honest John adds: The VIN is often
stamped on a plate visible through the bottom of the windscreen. This is very
difficult to tamper with. 

• Check the
status of the car to make sure the vehicle has no outstanding finance. Check
the information with a reliable source,

such as the
AA/RAC Vehicle Status Check, Experian, HPI etc. (www.HPI-check.com)

• Honest John
adds: if the vendor is a trader, either operating from home or from a premises,
then you need to get a handle on him. If he’s working from home, ask to see
council tax bills, a couple of utilities bills, banks statements, etc. to make
sure the vendor actually lives at the house.

• Whether he is
working from home or from premises, ask to see one of his VAT returns, his
trade insurance, invoices to him from auction houses, MoT stations, etc., if a
limited company, a recent company return, anything that makes she he is who he
says he is and gives you something to claim against if there is a problem later
on.

Stolen V5C log books still in circulation 

AVCIS warns that
there are still a large number V5C ‘Registered Keeper’ documents in circulation,
originally stolen in February 2007.

The stolen V5Cs
are used by criminals as proof of identity for the vehicle to sell stolen cars
and vans. When the stolen car

is purchased, a
genuine V5C document is provided with the car, which, like everything else,
matches the details of the stolen

car. However,
although the document seems genuine, the information is false. Only later does
the victim discover the vehicle is

stolen when
their new car is confiscated by police and they are left without compensation.

The stolen V5Cs
are recognised as having a slightly different background colour on the
Notification of Permanent Export  (V5C/4) tear-off
slip on the second page, which looks mauve on the front and pink on the
reverse. On legitimate documents they should be mauve on both sides.* 

Serial Numbers:

BG 9167501 - BG
9214000

BG 8407501 - BG
8431000

BG 9282001 - BG
9305000

BI 2305501  - 
BI 2800000

There is often
no way of tracing the seller of the stolen vehicle as they use a false name and
address and often meet the victim at a pre-arranged location. This means that
the purchaser will loose their money and their vehicle. When buying privately,
always meet the seller at their home and check the history of the vehicle by
making enquiries with one of the commercial agencies available, using the VIN
number. Do not rely on the registration number shown on the

documentation or
the vehicle. Ask to see any other documentation, service papers, invoices etc.
Never meet sellers in remote

locations, such
as car parks, service stations. If in doubt do not buy the vehicle and keep
hold of your cash.”

*DVLA Issues Stolen Vehicle Warning http://www.careg.co.uk/number_plates/get_news/106

One buyer unwittingly
became a victim of car cloning when he bought a vehicle through a reputable car
sales website. Nothing untoward aroused his suspicions; when he purchased the
vehicle, he was given the ‘New Registered Keeper’s’ slip from the log book and
after a HPI check, which searches for outstanding finance and damage as well as
whether the vehicle is stolen, the car was given the all-clear. When

he had not
received his new log book after six weeks, Vincent got in touch with the DVLA,
who, after rigorous checks, informed him that his vehicle was stolen and had
been given a cloned identity.

“The criminals
who did this must be part of a professional organisation,” he said. “All of the
numbers etched into the windows and the windscreen corresponded to that on the
chassis. There was no reason for me to be suspicious of the vehicle. It has
caused an extraordinary amount of inconvenience; the vehicle was bought to give
us more space when going on family holidays. But since we found out that the car
was stolen, we have not been able to use it and until the case is settled, we
are unable to recover the money we paid for it.”