We have purchased a stolen car! Help!!

IHAVEBEENRIPPEDOFF

Hi Guys,

Thanks for reading this post. Your help will be much appreciated.

There is a long story behind this so please sit tight.

I currently own a business and purchase cars from the public via our website. Customers login and ask for a valuation and if happy with the figure offered we purchase there car. Once purchased these are then placed into auction/other motor traders.

We have employed a sales manager 2 months ago to run one of our branches. This person has purchased a cloned car, knowing forwell it was cloned. We have since looked at the paper work and found out that our money was transfered to his girlfriends paerents bank account. This was a Mercedes A CLASS on a 57 plate (the true identtity is a 2008 Plate). He has been arrested and the car has been recovered. He is obviously denying this and there is even more evidence which really does put him in BIG TROUBLE (i dont want to disclose this as you never know who is reading).

As mentioned above the car has been recovered by the police and is due to be returned to the owner or the insurance company (if they have paid out on the car).

What i need to know is what process i should take to recover my losses. if i can.

All advice is welcome.

Thanks

jdturk

haven't got a clue but sounds bad, I would guess your only chance of getting any money back is via your insurance.....

Darksun

If he gets convicted, there may be a possibility of taking civil action to recover your losses, I'm really not sure how it'd work in a case like this though, you need to get professional legal advice as soon as possible, if nothing else to make sure you or your company are not going to be liable for anything.

IHAVEBEENRIPPEDOFF

ok, im a member of the federation of small business. i will have to speak to them on the legal front. such a shame. and being a small business this has a massive impact.

trevormax

would the police not be able to recover the money under the proceeds of crime act if he is found guilty?

DVardysShadow

trevormax wrote: »

would the police not be able to recover the money under the proceeds of crime act if he is found guilty?

Quite probably. Fat lot of use to our OP, because it is intended to punish and as far as I am aware, there is not provision for recompense.

Freddie_Snowbits

From my viewpoint, I would say the ex sales manager was a crook and I would not hesitate to get the bizzies involved.

gamesmad

Seems a difficult one, I would imagine the best root to take would be via your insurance. Not sure which insurance this would fall under though?

-Will

Takoda

IHAVEBEENRIPPEDOFF wrote: »

Hi Guys,

Thanks for reading this post. Your help will be much appreciated.

There is a long story behind this so please sit tight.

I currently own a business and purchase cars from the public via our website. Customers login and ask for a valuation and if happy with the figure offered we purchase there car. Once purchased these are then placed into auction/other motor traders.

We have employed a sales manager 2 months ago to run one of our branches. This person has purchased a cloned car, knowing forwell it was cloned. We have since looked at the paper work and found out that our money was transfered to his girlfriends paerents bank account. This was a Mercedes A CLASS on a 57 plate (the true identtity is a 2008 Plate). He has been arrested and the car has been recovered. He is obviously denying this and there is even more evidence which really does put him in BIG TROUBLE (i dont want to disclose this as you never know who is reading).

As mentioned above the car has been recovered by the police and is due to be returned to the owner or the insurance company (if they have paid out on the car).

What i need to know is what process i should take to recover my losses. if i can.

All advice is welcome.

Thanks

Maybe the relatives bought a cloned car by accident and then when they realised decided to palm it off on your business. Maybe they thought it would just go off to auction unnoticed and get sold on to some other poor sap.

Or maybe you just employed a crook. Did you not check his references thoroughly when you employed him in a money handling capacity?

Mind you I always thought the car business was FULL of crooks so I can't say I'm surprised really.

What do the police say?

IHAVEBEENRIPPEDOFF

In relation to your last post the person in question will be found guilty. There is even more evidence to come to light and he will be banged to rights.

He knew it was a cloned car. The log book is not even in his GF familys names and even DVLA have commented on how bad the copy of the log book was.

The car he claims was not even sold to him by them. This has been done in desperation as we have suspision to belive he is in big debts. He will be aware that the police will now know where the money got transfered too.

He is a crook and this is all coming to light now. He has a past for fraud.

Im very annoyed that as a business we layed so much trust in someone but to be positive this could of been a very very exspensive loss! Im just glad this was not a premium car costing me 30k.

Hopefully the justice system will work this one out. Proceeds of crime wont get us anywhere. He dont have a pot to pee in and the money has been withdrawn from the account.

Maybe i sell the debt on once proven guilty (six months down the line)

Can i get the car back?? what will happen if the insurance company have paid out on the car?

Regards

Takoda

IHAVEBEENRIPPEDOFF wrote: »

In relation to your last post the person in question will be found guilty. There is even more evidence to come to light and he will be banged to rights.

He knew it was a cloned car. The log book is not even in his GF familys names and even DVLA have commented on how bad the copy of the log book was.

The car he claims was not even sold to him by them. This has been done in desperation as we have suspision to belive he is in big debts. He will be aware that the police will now know where the money got transfered too.

He is a crook and this is all coming to light now. He has a past for fraud.

Im very annoyed that as a business we layed so much trust in someone but to be positive this could of been a very very exspensive loss! Im just glad this was not a premium car costing me 30k.

Hopefully the justice system will work this one out. Proceeds of crime wont get us anywhere. He dont have a pot to pee in and the money has been withdrawn from the account.

Maybe i sell the debt on once proven guilty (six months down the line)

Can i get the car back?? what will happen if the insurance company have paid out on the car?

Regards

You might be better asking that in the motoring section. More knowledgable folk there plus some other traders who just may have had the same problem.