WHEELY BIG LOSS
I bought a car on Facebook Marketplace but now I’ve been left £10,000 out of pocket – don’t make same two mistakes I did
Cops seized the car after stopping it off the A444
ONE car buyer has been left £10,000 out of pocket after failing to complete two simple checks when buying their motor.
The Operational Police Unit for Warwickshire posted an eye-catching photo to Facebook yesterday of a Range Rover being towed.
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The Evoque was being towed after the driver had purchased it off Facebook Marketplace but the motor was originally stolen, said the force.
One of those checks was getting a detailed HPI check completed, while the other was obtaining a V5 log book before sending the £10,000.
An HPI check is a vehicle history check that can be run through the AA or another third party company.
A V5 'log book' check is a check on the vehicle registration certificate and whether the watermark number sits in between a warning range.
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That range is given by the DVLA as BG8229501 to BG9999030 and BI2305501 to BI2800000.
When police picked up the car they were able to do their own checks.
They said: "Chassis checks confirmed the vehicle was an outstanding stolen vehicle stolen from London in October.";
Commenters on the Warwickshire Police Facebook post shared their thoughts on the situation.
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One said: "£10k spend on Facey? Some folks should have an IQ test before being allowed on social media with funds at their disposal."
Another wrote: "Probably knew it was stolen and thought they could get away with it."
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While a third posted: "The part where the 10k vehicle has no logbook screams stolen if your selling any vehicle at that price im pretty sure you will keep documents in order."
Car theft is a massive problem in the UK with 50,000 cars stolen in 2021.
Worryingly, thieves have been upping their game in recent years - changing tactics to increasingly target ‘keyless’ cars by exploiting their often vulnerable security systems.
To avoid your motor being stolen you can do several simple things.
Firstly, where you park your car can often affect the likelihood of a thief taking a chance on your vehicle.
Try and choose the safest place possible to leave your vehicle - well-lit places are an immediate deterrent while a car park that has CCTV security cameras will help put off criminals.
Secondly, it might sound obvious, but you should always remember to lock and secure your car.
Never be tempted to leave it idling – such as when defrosting it on a cold winter’s morning, because that’s exactly when opportunist thieves will act.
Never put your keys somewhere that’s easily in sight, and try and put them as far away from the car as possible.
Another tip is to use a steering lock.
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They were frequently in use a few decades ago, but in an age of keyless cars, they’ve made a comeback.
Not only will these hopefully deter thieves in the first place, but they will add time to the job of stealing the car.
What is car cloning?
Car cloning involves crooks using your number plate on their or another vehicle - usually to disguise a stolen or un-roadworthy motor or avoid paying fees.
Drivers could be unwittingly slapped with Ultra Low Emission Zone charges even when they were not behind the wheel.
Car cloning can take various forms with a criminal either physically stealing a registration plate or having a fake plate illegally made to put on another vehicle.
Cloned number plates are typically used on vehicles that are stolen, not roadworthy, or used in illegal activity.
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