1:03 pm, April 29, 2009
CAR dealers have been warned of a scrap scheme scam that could leave them out of pocket.
HPI has issued a warning that stolen V5s could be used by unscrupulous criminals to prove they’ve owned a car for 12 months – a prerequisite for qualifying for the scheme.
‘Never ones to miss a trick, criminals could make a tidy profit in swapping old for cut price new vehicles using stolen V5s to prove they’ve been the registered keeper for at least 12 months,’ said HPI automotive director Daniel Burgess.
‘The proof of a year’s ownership is the prerequisite for qualifying for the discount and as yet there is little or no means for policing this.’
The DVLA first announced that there were a large number of stolen V5s in circulation in 2007.
Although the AVCIS, the Association of Police Officers Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service, has recovered in excess of 700 vehicles with a total value exceeding £6.5m, they recently expressed concern that there may be a significant number of these documents still in circulation.
SPOT A FAKE
‘If you don’t know what to look for, keep your eyes peeled for V5s with 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,’added Burgess.
‘On legitimate documents they should be mauve on both sides. And an added level of protection is the HPI Check, the only service that provides a Stolen V5 Document Check as standard.’
EXCLUSIVE by James Baggott
