Consumers who buy cars in Northern Ireland have been warned they may be the victims of a “car-cloning” scam.
The issue arises out of the theft of hundreds of thousands blank registration forms from the offices of the UK’s Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in Swansea four years ago.
The theft gives criminal gangs the capacity to steal cars and sell them on to an unwitting public using a registration form.
Criminals clone the number plates of a car of the same make, colour and age and using the stolen registration forms can pass off a stolen car as legitimate.
British police say they are recovering at least 10 “cloned cars” a week and estimated there at least 130,000 stolen blank documents in circulation.
Last year one of the biggest ringleaders of the cloned car scam was jailed for four-and-a-half years in the UK for running a racket involving the theft of dozens of family cars which are often restolen after they are sold on.
Motorists are often unaware that their car has been “cloned” until they receive a summons or a parking fine through the post.
The EU's European Consumer Centre Ireland (ECCI), which provides consumer advice on cross-border transactions, said passengers could also end up buying unroadworthy cars which have also been cloned.
ECC Ireland spokeswoman Caroline Curneen said: “If you buy a stolen car, you risk losing the vehicle and your money even though you bought the car in good faith so it is imperative that consumers carry out comprehensive checks so any vehicle before purchase.”
