In a deliberate move to coincide with the 2012 Car Crime Awareness Week, the Finance and Leasing Association (FLA) has provided UK motorists with valuable tips and advice on what to look for when purchasing a second hand car.
The trade association for the motor finance industry has warned British drivers about the risk of motor finance fraud and the possibility of having their car repossessed by the finance company which actually owns it - losing the money they have paid as a result.
As the FLA recently revealed, cars with outstanding finance of more than £13 million were fraudulently sold last year in the UK.
Top tips to prevent car fraud
In order to prevent car fraud, the FLA has provided UK car buyers with a number of tips to find out whether the vehicle they are buying has a hidden history.
- Find out whether the car on sale matches the features expected from the make, model and age of the vehicle. Also, ensure the vehicle identification numbers (VINs) match the documents.
- Further tools that will help you to check the history of the vehicle are Experian (www.autocheck.co.uk), HPI (www.hpicheck.com) or CDL (www.mycarcheck.com).
A full history check will let you know the past ownership of the car, as well as if there is outstanding finance on it. Those reports also tell you whether it has been in an accident or scrapped, whether it has had its mileage adjusted, and whether it has ever been recorded as stolen.
- Always take a test drive of the vehicle so you can experience how it drives first hand. Checking the vehicle out in a reliable garage will also help.
- The day you are meeting and paying the seller, make sure you do so in a residential address instead of an anonymous location.
DCI Mark Hooper, Head of the ACPO Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service, gave further advice:
"If you're buying a used car, you need to make sure it has not been stolen, written off, or still have finance owing otherwise you could lose both the car and the money you paid for it. Make sure that you do your checks before parting with any money and make sure you can trace the seller should you need to later on. Don't be a victim of criminality."
