Help, been sold a stolen car

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  • arcon5
    arcon5 Posts: 14,099 Forumite
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    ScorpiondeRooftrouser wrote: »
    You have carelessly, let's be honest, handed over £15,000 to a con man.

    Where is the compensation supposed to come from for this? From the tax payer? If so, should everyone who suffers any loss due to crime be compensated by the tax payer, regardless of their degree of negligence? Can we do away with insurance against theft?

    That's never really been part of our system. It would be a huge change to make it so. It's not that simple an issue.

    I should point out, as well, that the reason the default position in this case is to believe you is because there's no reason for you to lie. There's no proof you handed over £15,000 to anyone. If there was any way you could be compensated for that £15,000, especially without anyone having been convicted, the number of false claims would be astronomical.
    Careless how?
  • ScorpiondeRooftrouser
    ScorpiondeRooftrouser Posts: 2,851 Forumite
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    edited 16 May 2018 at 9:52AM
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    arcon5 wrote: »
    Careless how?

    Is that a serious question? Giving £15,000 in cash to any private individual for a car is careless. Giving £15,000 in cash to someone you don't even have a verified name and address for or when you haven't seen a V5 is very careless. Doing it when both are true is insane.
  • AndyMc.....
    AndyMc..... Posts: 3,248 Forumite
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    ScorpiondeRooftrouser wrote: »
    Is that a serious question? Giving £15,000 in cash to any private individual for a car is careless. Giving £15,000 in cash to someone you don't even have a verified name and address for or when you haven't seen a V5 is very careless. Doing it when both are true is insane.

    I’ve they haven’t seen the V5, how do they know this?
    marie3196658 wrote: »
    We went to 'an address ' but dont know if it was his address although it did match the log book.
  • ScorpiondeRooftrouser
    ScorpiondeRooftrouser Posts: 2,851 Forumite
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    AndyMc..... wrote: »
    I!!!8217;ve they haven!!!8217;t seen the V5, how do they know this?

    Rereading they initially imply they weren't given a V5; but subsequently they seem to indicate that they were.

    So only very careless then - handing over £15,000 cash to someone they didn't know without any proof of identity.
  • AndyMc.....
    AndyMc..... Posts: 3,248 Forumite
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    ScorpiondeRooftrouser wrote: »
    Rereading they initially imply they weren't given a V5; but subsequently they seem to indicate that they were.

    So only very careless then - handing over £15,000 cash to someone they didn't know without any proof of identity.

    So I guess you would have asked to see their passport, driving licence, deeds to the house and a recent utility bill.
  • ScorpiondeRooftrouser
    ScorpiondeRooftrouser Posts: 2,851 Forumite
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    AndyMc..... wrote: »
    So I guess you would have asked to see their passport, driving licence, deeds to the house and a recent utility bill.

    No I wouldn't have asked for that, because I wouldn't pay a private individual £15,000 in cash for a car.

    If for some reason I was going to, I would at least make sure I had been inside their house and seen some proof they were who they claimed to be, yes. I mean, even then I wouldn't, personally if I were paying £15,000 for a car, cash or not, I'd be buying from an established business, but that seems to me to be a minimum.

    Are you saying that I am unusual in this? I'm really not sure I am.
    Would you be offended if you were the seller and someone asked for this?
  • unholyangel
    unholyangel Posts: 16,863 Forumite
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    http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/ombudsman-news/55/55-ask.htm

    Did you have the car insured OP? It appears the ombudsman might side with you depending on whether you took reasonable steps and acted in good faith.

    As for no proof they paid the money to anyone....I daresay OP didn't have £15,000 sitting around the house and would have withdrawn it from a bank account shortly before completing the purchase.

    You said it was at the address on the V5.....was it just outside the house or did you actually see them enter/exit the house at any point?
    You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means - Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride
  • ScorpiondeRooftrouser
    ScorpiondeRooftrouser Posts: 2,851 Forumite
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    unholyangel wrote: »
    http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/ombudsman-news/55/55-ask.htm

    Did you have the car insured OP? It appears the ombudsman might side with you depending on whether you took reasonable steps and acted in good faith.

    As for no proof they paid the money to anyone....I daresay OP didn't have £15,000 sitting around the house and would have withdrawn it from a bank account shortly before completing the purchase.

    You said it was at the address on the V5.....was it just outside the house or did you actually see them enter/exit the house at any point?

    If you read my comment about no proof, that is in relation to the idea of compensating people. My point is precisely that we do accept that it happened at the moment because there is nothing to gain, but if they were liable to be compensated for the full amount, we couldn't just accept it as there would be so much to gain. If such claims were possible then taking money out of the bank and making it disappear would obviously be easy.
    I have not for a moment suggested they didn't pay the £15,000 in this instance; there's no reason for them to make it up.
  • AndyMc.....
    AndyMc..... Posts: 3,248 Forumite
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    ScorpiondeRooftrouser wrote: »
    No I wouldn't have asked for that, because I wouldn't pay a private individual £15,000 in cash for a car.

    If for some reason I was going to, I would at least make sure I had been inside their house and seen some proof they were who they claimed to be, yes. I mean, even then I wouldn't, personally if I were paying £15,000 for a car, cash or not, I'd be buying from an established business, but that seems to me to be a minimum.

    Are you saying that I am unusual in this? I'm really not sure I am.
    Would you be offended if you were the seller and someone asked for this?
    I’m saying you’re not much help to the op.
  • ScorpiondeRooftrouser
    ScorpiondeRooftrouser Posts: 2,851 Forumite
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    AndyMc..... wrote: »
    I’m saying you’re not much help to the op.

    I answered one point of the OP's regarding compensation and have since then replied to questions raised to me. What is it with people at the moment asking questions and then complaining when people answer them?
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