Beware Cloned Cars Warns HPI Boss

• News
• Published: 29 May 2009 in Motoring and Van Insurance

Fully comp car insurance won`t help if you buy a used vehicle that turns out to be cloned, checking agency HPI has warned.

Says HPI boss Nick Lindsay: "It's almost impossible to sell a stolen vehicle without changing its identity, and when people find that dream buy they leave the door wide open.

"If you buy a clone you stand to lose the car and the money you paid for it, as the stolen vehicle will be returned to its rightful owner.

"By educating consumers to conduct a vehicle history check and proceed with caution, we can help them uncover a fake and walk away." 

He warned that criminals are becoming much more sophisticated, at the very least using forged or stole V5 documents and concealing or modifying Vehicle Identification Numbers, he said.

He recommends four basic precautions: always make sure you view the car at the registered keepers address; be on you guard if paying less than 70% of the book value; don't pay with large amounts of cash; and always check the vehicle's logbook.