1:02 pm, October 8, 2010
USED car buyers are being warned about the potential number of category B write-offs on the market.
HPI have made the call after they found that the number of category B insurance write-offs being dangerously repaired and returned to the market is rising.
Category B write-offs should be crushed or broken down for spares and not re-sold to unsuspecting buyers.
A lack of good-quality used cars due to the Government’s scrappage scheme contributed to the rise, believes Nicola Johnson, Consumer Services Manager at HPI.
She said: ‘The Government’s scrappage scheme gave the UK new car market a fantastic boost, but the continuing lack of good quality second hand cars for sale means unscrupulous sellers are using a variety of ways of conning used car buyers out of their money.
‘Criminals have been capitalising on this shortage by disguising Category B write-offs as a good buy.’
‘One in 25 vehicles checked by HPI are recorded as insurance write-offs and we currently hold 650,000 write-offs on the HPI database, which confirms the scale of the risk.’
By James Batchelor
