{"id":815,"date":"2017-03-29T13:19:52","date_gmt":"2017-03-29T12:19:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scrapcarnetwork.org\/news\/?p=815"},"modified":"2025-02-26T07:20:15","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T07:20:15","slug":"check-youre-not-buying-stolen-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scrapcarnetwork.org\/news\/check-youre-not-buying-stolen-car\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Check You\u2019re Not Buying A Stolen Car"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pop culture has a lot to answer for in second hand car deals. When buying a car second hand, most people are very alert for anything suspicious going on \u2013 which isn\u2019t necessarily a bad thing. But to be honest, though they do exist, dishonest scrap car dealers are a lot less common than people think.<\/p>\n

Having said that, if you think you might be being scammed,\u00a0here’s how to check if the car has been\u00a0stolen:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Ask for registration number, make and model of the car.<\/li>\n
  2. Ask for its MOT test number.<\/li>\n
  3. Check the verification of this information against the DVLA\u2019s online records.<\/li>\n
  4. Ensure it\u2019s had its MOT test within the last 12 months.<\/li>\n
  5. Check the V5C registration certificate.<\/li>\n
  6. Check the Vehicle Identification Number for signs of tampering.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    In case you\u2019re not quite sure how to do all that, don\u2019t worry \u2013 we\u2019ve covered the full details for you below.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Checking The Basics Of Car Ownership<\/h2>\n

    \"check<\/p>\n

    When it comes to stolen cars, one of the many nice things about the scrap car industry is that there\u2019s a huge and powerful framework in place to help cut down on exactly that. In other words, organisations like the DVLA do most of the heavy lifting for you. If you suspect that something might be up with the car you\u2019re looking at \u2013 and not in a good way \u2013 just ask the seller for the registration number, make, model and MOT test number of the car. (By the way, this should be the absolute bare minimum they should be able to provide.)<\/p>\n

    Then all you need to do is use the DVLA\u2019s online vehicle enquiry service to make sure that what you\u2019re being told matches the information they\u2019ve got on their records. They\u2019ll be able to tell you stuff like its year of manufacture, the date it was first registered, and when its current tax expires. If the details don\u2019t match, then chances are it\u2019s either not the same car, or there\u2019s an effort being made to disguise it. Despite the name, in this field clones aren\u2019t always perfect copies, so even a different paint job<\/a> could mean that something is amiss. If in doubt, don\u2019t take the risk.<\/p>\n

    Having A Look At The MOT<\/h3>\n

    \"service<\/p>\n

    The next step is to check that the car\u2019s MOT is up to date, and its history matches what you\u2019re being told. An MOT test basically makes sure that your car is up to scratch in terms of its fitness to ferry you around, which means that it has to be taken annually at the very least. It is absolutely a legal requirement, so if it\u2019s past its due date or the records don\u2019t match up, there\u2019s a good chance it could be dangerously unsafe. If the thought of that doesn\u2019t make you double and triple-check, almost nothing will!<\/p>\n

    Inspecting The Logbook And VIN<\/h3>\n

    \"v5c<\/p>\n

    If you\u2019ve done all your research online and it all checks out, there are still a few things you can do when you go to see the scrap car in the flesh (or steel\/iron alloy, or whatever). Ask to see the V5C vehicle registration certificate \u2013 or logbook, in common parlance. When you\u2019ve got it in front of you, make sure that the number isn\u2019t between BG8229501 to BG9999030, or BI2305501 to BI2800000. If it is, the V5C might be well have been nicked. Those numbers seems like very specific requirements, you might think, and you\u2019d be right. Basically, logbooks with these numbers went missing from the DLVA in the mid-2000s, and they\u2019re being used by crooks to create false vehicle identities. It\u2019s a lot of numbers to go through, but we assure you it\u2019s worth the effort.<\/p>\n

    One final thing; take a ganders at the Vehicle Identification Number to see if they\u2019ve been replaced or tampered with. It\u2019s a prime indicator of something fishy going on. You can find it in front of the engine block, or in the rear wheel well. If you can\u2019t locate it, you could always ask the seller \u2013 and if they don\u2019t know where it is, definitely think twice before buying the car.<\/p>\n

    At Scrap Car Network, integrity is a central principle to how we do business. That\u2019s why all our scrap car dealers are Authorised Treatment Facilities, which are authorised and regulated by the governmental Environment Agency. You can read about other reasons to choose us here<\/a>, or get right to our homepage to enter in your car details here<\/a>\u00a0and start scrapping your car today!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Don\u2019t forget to follow us on Twitter: @ScrapCarNetwork<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Pop culture has a lot to answer for in second hand car deals. When buying a car second hand, most people are very alert for anything suspicious going on \u2013 which isn\u2019t necessarily a bad thing. But to be honest, though they do exist, dishonest scrap car dealers are a lot less common than people […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":817,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16,1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n