Thousands of stolen cars sold with fake documents
Never buy a car without a valid registration document! This warning comes as a survey reveals over half of the motorists surveyed can> '> t tell the difference between genuine V5 registration documents and fakes while a fifth dont even know what a registration certificate is.
More than 1,000 drivers have been sold stolen cars over the last few years by vendors using fake or stolen vehicle registration certificates to pass on the vehicles.
Police estimate between 30,000 and 40,000 cars are rung or cloned each year and crime figures show 33,000 number plates were stolen in 2005. But in spite of the shocking figures 11% of drivers admit to buying a second-hand car without bothering to check the paperwork, placing themselves at risk of being sold a stolen motor.
Many of the vehicles sold using illegal V5s are second-hand luxury cars costing tens of thousands of pounds. But unsuspecting motorists who think they have bought the car of their dreams could find the motor being towed away by the police or returned to its original owner if they bought it without checking its documents were genuine.
Young drivers are least likely to ask to see registration certificates when buying a car. 14% of young motorists wouldn> '> t bother to check for a V5 certificate compared just to 4% of 25-34 year-olds. 9% of 17 to 24-year-olds also wrongly believe their insurance company would pay up if they bought a vehicle with fake documents but just 1% of over 55s thought the insurance firms liable.
But don't despair. There are ways to check whether your V5 is stolen or not. If the serial number begins with a prefix between BG916 and BG919 be alert, there are stolen documents in circulation with these prefixes.
But anyone with doubts should contact the DVLA either through the agency website or by calling the helpline on 0870 241 1878
For more information visit www.dvla.gov.uk