Ringing

One particularly popular selling scam is 'ringing', where a stolen car is given the identity of another car. Criminals can carry this out by removing and replacing the stolen car's VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) with that of another (usually written-off) car. The VIN is presented on a small plate riveted under the bonnet and stamped on the car's floorpan, and may also additionally appear at the base of the windscreen or in the door pillar.

If you do buy a ringer, the car does not legally belong to you and once the deception is discovered it will either be returned to the original owner or sold as salvage, to enable the insurance company to recover their losses. Never try to sell on a ringer as you will be liable to prosecution; tell the police immediately. Unfortunately, most ringers are sold by highly organised gangs of criminals who are able to cover their tracks thoroughly to avoid detection and there is little chance you will be able to get your money back.

What You Should Do

You can guard against buying a ringer by making sure that the car's VIN matches that shown in the registration certificate (V5C), and by checking that there is no evidence of tampering around the riveted VIN plates; loose rivets are a characteristic giveaway. Some thieves may also grind away the stamped VIN and insert another plate in its place.

Look for evidence of a recent re-spray; the thieves may have had to repaint the car so that it matches the colour shown on the registration certificate. You can do this by looking for overspray on the glass and trim. You should also make sure that you inspect the car at the address shown on the registration certificate (or at the dealership if you are not buying privately). However, when you check the registration certificate, make sure it is genuine - hold it up to the light to make sure that the DVLA watermark runs through it.

Try to avoid paying in cash – if the seller insists on cash BEWARE. Those that are not genuine dealers or sellers want cash so that they are not traceable.

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