hey guys, im in a bit of a pickle need some advice!

I saw a Lexus advertised on Autotrader, listing price of £14.5k, about 3k cheaper than other sellers so I enquired about it. I negotiated the price down to £12.8k a real bargain, but seller said he wanted cash.

He basically had a story that he just divorced his wife she took everythign and he wants to sell the car quickly to get some cash. A cheque is no good as he only has a joint account and his wife could take it. Basically I did the deal of 6k cash and rest in cheque.

I took advice from police, DVLA and did a full HPI check through AA. The number plate and VIN all came back clear, not stolen no finance etc. I checked the sellers photo ID and even took a photocopy of it, everything matched the V5 document.

Now the seller couldn't find the spare key so I retained £800 and gave him 7 days to find it otherwise I would get locks changed using that retained money.

Since the day of the cash handover his phone has been off, I got suspicious and did further research (just a day too late!).

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/CARS/FEATURES/car_cloning.html

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/CARS/FEATURES/stolen_v5c_certificate_warning.html

Basically I am 99% sure that this guy was dodgy and actually the car has been "cloned" where VIN and car reg have been changed to match that of another car. Hence all checks came back clear.

I reckon the guy has ran off with my cash and left me with a stolen car.

My question is...I bought this car in good faith with all evidence to prove I paid the cash and bought it knowing the car and seller are legit (I had 2 witnesses with me and a signed contract), but having checked the V5 doc, it is indeed fraudulent, so what are the chances of me getting to keep the car?

I imagine the police would either return it to the real owner when they find out the true identity, otherwise the owners insurance company is a pay out has already been made. However I will be out of pocket and without a car!

Anyone know about this??

I dont know anything about car cloning, but by him saying he couldnt take a cheque as his wife would get it would have immediatly set alatm bells ringing, Does he not have his own account? Could he not open an account? you can go to many places to cash cheques without having a bank account, he could have put it into a friends/relatives account!!

Sounds a bit like if its to good to be true....

http://www.uk-mma.co.uk/

A mixed martial Arts Forum

www.protein-factory.co.uk

if they find out who it belonged to they will return the car and you will be out of pocket

stop the cheque you wrote him, if it hasnt already been cashed. if hes genuine he will be in touch.

does sound dodgy though

do you still have a copy of his id?

rotor cuffs are a nightmare society founding member

Sorry to say this mate, but I'm almost sure your fvcked. I'd keep my mouth shut and claim I didn't know if I was ever caught with it. Was the cheque cashed?

Celtic are the Champions!!! We welcome the chase!!!

I think in these cases the buyer is unfortunately the loser and the car is returned to its rightful owener.

There will be complications if the Insurance has paid out no doubt. Have you alerted the policy?

Motivation Level - Critical

id get locks changed, sell it at list p[rice and say ****all and put 2-3 k in my pocket tbh

Stop the cheque. Then keep your fcuking mouth shut about it unless you want to be 12 grand out of pocket just for being honest. You wont get in trouble for saying nothing if you didnt know about it *=(which you can claim you didnt)

http://www.uk-bodybuilding.co.uk/phpbb3/

ORIGINAL: yiddo

Stop the cheque. Then keep your fcuking mouth shut about it unless you want to be 12 grand out of pocket just for being honest. You wont get in trouble for saying nothing if you didnt know about it *=(which you can claim you didnt)

x 2

The owner has already been compensated by insurance so keep quiet and play dumb

I like to be fashionable, I usually wear my jeans pretty loose so people can see my deseigner boxers and my shirt small&tight so you can see my Armani belt buckle

[link=http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/m_260204

Well I checked with my bank, the cheque hadn't even been lodged so I stopped it. I don't think he even is the person on the V5 and I imagine he had a fake drivers license copying the actual owners name.

So total loss is £6k, not £12k.

Regarding keeping my mouth shut...for now I will do that; instead of changing the locks which costs around £7/800 I am just going to get a steering wheel lock and get insured on the car. When the DVLA receive my fraud documents they will inform the cops and I will then get a visit from them. So either way I will be caught out, but there is no point in me going to the cops as they might think I'm involved in the fraud.

I just wonder if I'm covered for my £6k by AA as they confirmed the car is legit after I spent £25 for a HPI check?? Also, supposing the criminals were very smart and changed even the hidden VIN numbers on the car meaning there is no way of finding out who the real owner is, will I then get to keep it, or is it likely to be destroyed or auctioned off? If that happens then the cops are also stealing from me for their own benefit!!

ORIGINAL: john_cappa

ORIGINAL: yiddo

Stop the cheque. Then keep your fcuking mouth shut about it unless you want to be 12 grand out of pocket just for being honest. You wont get in trouble for saying nothing if you didnt know about it *=(which you can claim you didnt)

x 2

The owner has already been compensated by insurance so keep quiet and play dumb

ditto

ORIGINAL: danimal

id get locks changed, sell it at list p[rice and say ****all and put 2-3 k in my pocket tbh

I can't sell it without V5 docs in my name, and of course I won't get any through cos DVLA will know the V5 that I sent them was fake.

ORIGINAL: yiddo

Stop the cheque. Then keep your fcuking mouth shut about it unless you want to be 12 grand out of pocket just for being honest. You wont get in trouble for saying nothing if you didnt know about it *=(which you can claim you didnt)

Yes you can. Ignorance is no defence of the law.

"If you're going through hell, keep going!" - Winston Churchill

ORIGINAL: stavross

Smith machines are for girls mate.

the AA won't give u anything. they can't help that the car was cloned, the reg you gave them was legit so not their prob.

if insurance has already been paid the car would go to the insurance company. its more than likely they would let you buy it from them on the cheap.

play dumb u've got a nice car for 6k atm. also delete this thread as unlikeley as it is if they check your pc or whatever could find this..


**EDIT you've got his bank details so if you do get caught hand them on

Don't stop until you get atleast one more than you originally thought you could achieve...

Did you buy it at his house or meet him somewhere anonymous?

MT all-round Member of the Year 2006 and 2007

Now at Undergroundmuscle.co.uk

^^^ Yes i hope you wern't naive enough to let the guy know where you live. Otherwise you may become a target.

IMO you should sell the car ASAP for as much as you can.

Should make a profit.

Then learn from this.

Nothing contributes so much to tranquilizing the mind as a steady purpose - a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye.

ORIGINAL: Rosc0PColtrane

ORIGINAL: yiddo

Stop the cheque. Then keep your fcuking mouth shut about it unless you want to be 12 grand out of pocket just for being honest. You wont get in trouble for saying nothing if you didnt know about it *=(which you can claim you didnt)

Yes you can. Ignorance is no defence of the law.

Ignorance of the law is no defence but ignorance of a crime surely is.

http://www.undergroundmuscle.co.uk

hmm sounds dodgy, just let the cops come to you, as far as you are concerned you have bought a new car and don't let them know that you are aware of "cloning"

http://www.supplementplanet.co.uk

http://www.affordable-fitness.co.uk


Qualified Fitness Professional and Sports Nutritionist

Initially this guy came to my house, and met my whole family! Not good! When I made the actual purchase I collected it from his so called brothers house. I asked to collect it from the addy on his drivers license but as he had divorced and moved out he said he was staying with his brother who had had a severe accident and needed to be looked after. When I went to the house I met this old man lying down with crutches, turns out he is actually a disabled guy who lives there and has no brother. I will let the cops look into that futher though.

I don't have his bank details, it was cash in hand, although I did a Print Screen of the Autotrader ad, so hopefully Autotrader can check which credit/debit card the ad was made by. And I do have his photo, he was stupid enough to give in to my demand of a photocopy of it....

I can only sell the car if I get a new V5 from DVLA, otherwise I have no registration documents for it. Who knows...it might even turn out to be ok but I checked the back slip of the V5 and it is fake (as advised in the links above).

Oh well at least I didn't lose 12k cash, thats about the only positive outcome here!

sell it

Psalm 144:1 - Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight.

if they cant trace the owner the dvla will probably Q plate it and issue a new v5, thats what happened with my old xr2

Will compete one day !!!!!!




LOCUSTS Journal