V5C Fraud - Beware

Herzlos

EdGasketTheSecond said:

Can I ask approximately what value of car you were selling? I would imagine it must be well north of 10K for someone to go to all this bother. I mean after they've sold the cloned car from the address, they presumably can't live there anymore so a lot of bother for them to set up this fraud and pull it off?

No need to move house, just use a different address where you can get access to the mail. I'm sure there are plenty of people who'll indulge you for a small donation.

HansOndabush

Herzlos said:

EdGasketTheSecond said:

Can I ask approximately what value of car you were selling? I would imagine it must be well north of 10K for someone to go to all this bother. I mean after they've sold the cloned car from the address, they presumably can't live there anymore so a lot of bother for them to set up this fraud and pull it off?

No need to move house, just use a different address where you can get access to the mail. I'm sure there are plenty of people who'll indulge you for a small donation.

I was thinking that someone spending a lot of money would expect the address in the V5 to match where they were viewing the car; at least I would.

Biggus_Dickus

HansOndabush said:

Herzlos said:

EdGasketTheSecond said:

Can I ask approximately what value of car you were selling? I would imagine it must be well north of 10K for someone to go to all this bother. I mean after they've sold the cloned car from the address, they presumably can't live there anymore so a lot of bother for them to set up this fraud and pull it off?

No need to move house, just use a different address where you can get access to the mail. I'm sure there are plenty of people who'll indulge you for a small donation.

I was thinking that someone spending a lot of money would expect the address in the V5 to match where they were viewing the car; at least I would.

I’d imagine any thieving (but competent) Scammer would have that covered.

Vic1976

Rum_Punched said:

Afternoon all,

I just wanted to post a warning here to others in the hope I can stop what Is currently happening to me happen to someone else.

Recently when selling my car privately I had a few people come and have a look, took a number of calls on it with the majority being dealers wanting it for nothing. One call I took the guy seemed genuine enough said all the right things, asked me loads asked me to send some pics said he wanted to pay a deposit etc as he liked it but needed to do a HPI. To validate a HPI you need to V5c document reference to make sure it was last issued etc. Last time I sold a car the V5 has to be sent off plus he didn’t have any of my other details (name, address, V5 issue ref etc) just the document ref, VIN and plate so I thought not too much about it. Around 5 days later I get a notification from DVLA notifying me that I am no longer the registered keeper of my own car!!

By time I read this letter it was Sunday afternoon and I am spitting feathers. I call Action Fraud as the police don’t deal with fraud so you get directed there and they are as useful as a chocolate teapot. So I have to do my own investigation as the police wouldn’t because it was fraud and when doing this I then see a replica of my car in a slightly different colour on gumtree seriously underpriced and I also linked the number I was called from to some other fraudulent adverts all of which I have had to submit to DVLA to get my logbook reinstated to me. I then had to log this with the police as there was a cloned car (most likely stolen) out there in the hope someone else doesn’t get stung. The whole process is a PITA and DVLA have have just kept telling me 7-10 working days when I call for an update after I submitted all the necessary photos and evidence to them to get my log book reinstated. I am now not able to drive the car as police have advised that I will most likely be stopped and to have to explain it to an officer may see my car impounded in the short term which leads to a whole new set of issues. We have a young child and the inconvenience is huge.

There is a serious loophole in the online submission system for registering a new keeper as you only need the document reference which the buyer also needs to validate their HPI check and provide them the 30k insurance, so you have to give it over at some point. I certainly wouldn’t buy private without asking for it before I paid any monies over. Further more this was only uncovered as a genuine buyer I gave the reference too flagged it on his HPI that it wasn’t being recognised as the latest V5C so he would have bought the car and then had all these issues if he didn’t check.

Many of you will probably know this but just in case someone didn’t I just wanted to share that on here, a place where I have been coming for years for helpful information in the hope that if someone didn’t know the post could stop it happening to them too.

The DVLA tell you not to share info but what they don’t tell you how easy it is with such little information to cause so much damage. They also have made it easy for scammers with their one tier security process for changing such an important document.

It’s just a waiting game now for the DVLA to return the register to me but it has caused a lot of stress and this has really shook my confidence in the private buying process.

So be warned if you are selling a car that it is as easy as that.

So how did it all finish for you,i am in the same situation now,the guy viewing  somehow got hold of my vin number and they put the car on a different name  2 days later i received a letter fro DVLA to tax my car i phoned them and they  told me that someone applied for a new V5C ,DVLA asked me to send pictures of the car ,reg plates all the vin numbers now its under investigation,reported to police they said cant do anything then reported to fraud actions ,i have taxed the car again and ive told by DVLA i can still drive it    

user1977

Vic1976 said:

Rum_Punched said:

Afternoon all,

I just wanted to post a warning here to others in the hope I can stop what Is currently happening to me happen to someone else.

Recently when selling my car privately I had a few people come and have a look, took a number of calls on it with the majority being dealers wanting it for nothing. One call I took the guy seemed genuine enough said all the right things, asked me loads asked me to send some pics said he wanted to pay a deposit etc as he liked it but needed to do a HPI. To validate a HPI you need to V5c document reference to make sure it was last issued etc. Last time I sold a car the V5 has to be sent off plus he didn’t have any of my other details (name, address, V5 issue ref etc) just the document ref, VIN and plate so I thought not too much about it. Around 5 days later I get a notification from DVLA notifying me that I am no longer the registered keeper of my own car!!

By time I read this letter it was Sunday afternoon and I am spitting feathers. I call Action Fraud as the police don’t deal with fraud so you get directed there and they are as useful as a chocolate teapot. So I have to do my own investigation as the police wouldn’t because it was fraud and when doing this I then see a replica of my car in a slightly different colour on gumtree seriously underpriced and I also linked the number I was called from to some other fraudulent adverts all of which I have had to submit to DVLA to get my logbook reinstated to me. I then had to log this with the police as there was a cloned car (most likely stolen) out there in the hope someone else doesn’t get stung. The whole process is a PITA and DVLA have have just kept telling me 7-10 working days when I call for an update after I submitted all the necessary photos and evidence to them to get my log book reinstated. I am now not able to drive the car as police have advised that I will most likely be stopped and to have to explain it to an officer may see my car impounded in the short term which leads to a whole new set of issues. We have a young child and the inconvenience is huge.

There is a serious loophole in the online submission system for registering a new keeper as you only need the document reference which the buyer also needs to validate their HPI check and provide them the 30k insurance, so you have to give it over at some point. I certainly wouldn’t buy private without asking for it before I paid any monies over. Further more this was only uncovered as a genuine buyer I gave the reference too flagged it on his HPI that it wasn’t being recognised as the latest V5C so he would have bought the car and then had all these issues if he didn’t check.

Many of you will probably know this but just in case someone didn’t I just wanted to share that on here, a place where I have been coming for years for helpful information in the hope that if someone didn’t know the post could stop it happening to them too.

The DVLA tell you not to share info but what they don’t tell you how easy it is with such little information to cause so much damage. They also have made it easy for scammers with their one tier security process for changing such an important document.

It’s just a waiting game now for the DVLA to return the register to me but it has caused a lot of stress and this has really shook my confidence in the private buying process.

So be warned if you are selling a car that it is as easy as that.

So how did it all finish for you

The OP hasn't logged in here since 2019.

DAVBER2020

Hi I've just been a victim of V5C fraud described pretty much as above a few guys came to look at my Audi and then one distracted me with questions and pointing at inperfections whilst the other must have photographed or remembered the Log Book.  I've reported to DVLA and the Police, can anyone advise approx how long it took to get resolved and old logbook reinstated? I only found out myself I was scammed when I went to dealer to buy a new car and part ex my current car and the dealer said your V5C isn't coming up as valid and then realised Car was just taxed despite me having taxed the car myself the previous month.  I've just managed to tax the car again.

facade

DAVBER2020 said:

Hi I've just been a victim of V5C fraud described pretty much as above a few guys came to look at my Audi and then one distracted me with questions and pointing at inperfections whilst the other must have photographed or remembered the Log Book.  I've reported to DVLA and the Police, can anyone advise approx how long it took to get resolved and old logbook reinstated? I only found out myself I was scammed when I went to dealer to buy a new car and part ex my current car and the dealer said your V5C isn't coming up as valid and then realised Car was just taxed despite me having taxed the car myself the previous month.  I've just managed to tax the car again.

Another reason to pay your tax in full manually not monthly or by DD.

If someone ttransfers ownership using the number off your V5 you would get a refund cheque within a week for the remaining tax.  (unless it was the last month, but then you'd try and tax it using your reminder number and it wouldn't work, if you are on DD the payments just stop and some people won't notice...)

Conrad3000

So basically the moral of the story is to never show the logbook to any potential buyers?

That seems to be the golden goose to unleash all sorts of problems to the unwitting, innocent owner.

DAVBER2020

I do pay my car tax annually, in the incident where I have been scammed, I've had to retax my car manually at the post office.  Does anyone know how long it will take for DVLA to resolve and will they issue me a new log book and revert back to correct number of owners on the car?