Possible scam - car trace "classic" car

James_N

I've received a letter to a new address of mine, claiming to be wanting to track down a previously owned "classic" car - not that old but some kind of special marque for the type. Boring petrol head detail followed.

It's a very long handwritten letter, on company paper (and the company is a car dealership) going into great and unnecessary detail about the car and it's owner. A creepy amount of detail in fact - 4 pages of very trivial detail about shopping trips and previous usage. It appears to be a photocopy but we are not sure. A SAE is provided - but it's not the dealership's address. The phone numbers given do not appear to be correct either.

The thing is - the person that the letter is written to and the car it's supposed to have been about have never been at this address. We are the second owners of this house and no-one of that name has ever been here. An MOT check reveals that the car being searched for is currently MOTed.

Is this some kind of scam, or has someone tried to use my "new" address to register a car. And how has this person-connected-to-a-dealership got this address in the first place.

Ideas or advice please.

topdaddy_2

So they are asking if you own the car currently?

spacey2012

Have the council not provided a recycling bin.
That is the best place for this.

James_N

spacey2012 wrote: »

Have the council not provided a recycling bin.
That is the best place for this.

Binning it was our first reaction, then we thought of how had this happened.

James_N

topdaddy wrote: »

So they are asking if you own the car currently?

Yes

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Johno100

James_N wrote: »

Yes

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Then how about dropping them/him a quick note telling them you are not the owner/keeper of the vehicle and as far as you are aware the individual named in the letter has never lived at your address. You may help in putting them in contact with the owner and also do your good deed for the day.

topdaddy_2

James_N wrote: »

Yes

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Cant see how this is a scam if you send a letter in their SAE saying "nope aint got it." I wouldnt sign it though.

Strider590

Might be that someone has falsely registered it to your address, for example I often wonder how many cars in Bradford are actually registered to addresses in Bradford. You might want to get in touch with the DVLA and find out if this car really is registered to your address.

James_N

Johno100 wrote: »

Then how about dropping them/him a quick note telling them you are not the owner/keeper of the vehicle and as far as you are aware the individual named in the letter has never lived at your address. You may help in putting them in contact with the owner and also do your good deed for the day.

Because if I wanted to find a car like this, I'd drop the person a quick note and ask if they had the car not bore them with its previous history and movements over the last years.
Oh - hang on - how would I know who to write to and where anyway.
So = suspicious

Mojisola

James_N wrote: »

It's a very long handwritten letter, on company paper (and the company is a car dealership) going into great and unnecessary detail about the car and it's owner. A creepy amount of detail in fact - 4 pages of very trivial detail about shopping trips and previous usage. It appears to be a photocopy but we are not sure. A SAE is provided - but it's not the dealership's address. The phone numbers given do not appear to be correct either.

The thing is - the person that the letter is written to and the car it's supposed to have been about have never been at this address.

If you don't want to bin it, seal up the envelope, write 'not known at this address' and send it to the dealer's address.

Flying-High_2

Could be somebody on a wild goose chasing a car they've owned... I'm currently chasing history of US Import a friend has and have been up many a garden path. If it's irrelevant to you bin it and life goes on.