oos_ya_daddy

Active Member
Hi. Not sure whether to put this in here or in the stolen section ?

If anyone can offer me any advice at all I would be very grateful as im in a right mess ! :(

I bought my defender about 6-8 weeks ago now off a genuine guy near where I live.

I had a visit from the police on Friday morning. Apparently my car is a clone. It was stolen around a year ago and transferred onto the plates of another older defender that I presume went to the scrap yard.

In theory I loose the car, it goes back to the insurance company and I loose the money I paid for it too. I did a HPI check based on the number plate and the VIN plate under the bonnet. Both of these were fake, so there is nothing the HPI people will do for me.

I have informed the insurance company that I would maybe be interested in buying the truck off them. Taking to account that it will be a newer reg, but also that it will be a Cat D, will have no history, no MOT. insurance will cost more etc. They said that an arrangement could be reached and if I submit receipts for anything I have done to it since I purchased it these would be subtracted from their valuation.

I really don’t know what to do though.

Any advice greatly received !! I am absolutely gutted ! Feel like crying.
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did yu do an HPI check, because if you did, you might have some recourse?
Also if you paid by card - ie Visa or Mastercard.
 
If you did hpi check, you should be able to make a clain through them. Good luck. Hope they wrong. If not good luck
 
What put the police on to it? Did they give a reason that they waited a year and then suddenly turned up at yours?

And when you say transferred onto plates of another defender, what do you mean exactly? Just that it had the wrong plates on it, or it was legitimately transferred via the DVLA?


I'd have thought you'd have a claim from the HPI people. They should be able to flag up stolen numbers or anything else dodgy about it. Although that may only be if you had entered all the information they require. Log book serial number and issue date, as well as the vin and reg number.

What proof do they have that yours is the clone and not the other one? Have you checked the chassis number against your documents?

Can you find out who the insurance company is? Long shot, but they may be one that has gone broke, in which case you might get to keep it.

And as pointed out by MHM, if you bought it by credit card that may be an avenue to take.

I'm not sure if there's such a thing as the criminal compensation board nowadays or what they cover, but might be worth a google.

Of course you should take off all the parts you put on since you've had it before they take it back.
 
The found the guy who was stealing loads of cars. Tracked down all the cars that he had sold over the last two years.

It had the identity swopped to the scrapped defender. Iligally.

I paid cash for it off a private individual. He bought it off the guy who nicked it.

Ive found out the insurance company. Its equity red star. Im in discussions with them at the moment about buying the car off them. Hopefully for as little as possible.

Ideally I need a reciept for a cam belt or head gasket change.
 
You could ask the vendor to refund you as he didn't give you what you paid for. You agreed to buy his car, but it wasn't.
 
You could ask the vendor to refund you as he didn't give you what you paid for. You agreed to buy his car, but it wasn't.

Private party sales are buyer be ware, as is how, is no warranty. If he can prove fraud, then he might have a leg to stand on. Sometimes a good deal is not a good deal. Its a sham a Innocent person got his fingers burn't.:eek:
 
I can't be arsed to check, but I thought the s12 warranty of title was specifically binding on private sellers?
 
I can't be arsed to check, but I thought the s12 warranty of title was specifically binding on private sellers?

The rule of thumb is. No one has your best interest on there mind on any sales. Sellers are in the business to separate you from your money, and they are quit good at it, other wise they would't be in business :boink:
 
Just curious, how long did the guy you bought the car off own it?
It's not possible he was in on the scam by any chance?
Trust no-one.
 
I believe that you have recourse back to the person who sold it to you, as long as you can prove he sold it to you. Get a solicitor's advice though.
 
but surely if the reg no & vin no were HPI checked, they would show up as belonging to a scrapped vehicle ?

or am I missing something...
 
The HPI Guarantee

At HPI, we work hard to ensure that the data we receive and manage is the best available but no data source is perfect. That's why your HPI vehicle check includes the HPI Guarantee. Subject to the HPI Guarantee Terms & Conditions, the HPI Guarantee provides up to £30,000(£15,000 for written off vehicles) reimbursement of financial loss you suffer arising from inaccurate or incomplete information we supply to you as part of the HPI Check. As you'd expect from HPI, the cover is the most comprehensive available today.

Here is a summary of the main conditions:

You need to carry out the HPI Check yourself, before you buy the vehicle - the Guarantee is not transferable.
You must supply us with the Vehicle Registration Mark (VRM) and the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to be eligible for maximum cover available under the HPI Guarantee. The HPI Guarantee will not apply if we advise you that the VRM does not match the VIN, so make sure the information you supply is accurate (pay particular attention to '5's and 'S's, '2's and 'Z's).
Before you buy the vehicle, you must make sure that all vehicle details provided by HPI match both the vehicle and its accompanying paperwork, and notify us of any discrepancies. As a minimum, you must obtain and check the V5 registration document with us, using our Document Check facility, prior to purchase.
You must check that all the VIN markings on the vehicle match each other and the corresponding V5 registration document.
You must keep and produce to us on request a written receipt for your purchase, signed by the seller, containing the key information needed to identify the seller and the vehicle (e.g. the seller's name and address, the identity and mileage of the vehicle purchased, the date of purchase and the amount you paid).
If you are buying the vehicle privately, you must buy it from the keeper, at the address shown on the V5. You must also check the identity of the seller.
You must buy the vehicle in a reasonably prudent manner (for example - claims will not be considered if you have paid 30% below the retail market value).

The cover provided is based on the car's value. In the case where HPI provides incorrect data affecting vehicle title (such as theft or outstanding finance), the HPI Guarantee will cover up to £30,000, either in compensation or the costs needed to obtain good title to the vehicle (at HPI's discretion). In the case where HPI provides incorrect data affecting the vehicle's condition, the HPI Guarantee will cover up to £15,000 or 50% of the market value of the car, whichever is the lower.
The HPI Guarantee does not cover the vehicle's descriptive information (including import status), mileage, value, V5 registration document checks, or if the loss has arisen as a result of a fraudulent transaction.
The HPI Guarantee is valid for two years from the date of the check.
The vehicle must be bought and registered in mainland Britain (i.e. it excludes Northern Ireland). If it has been imported, HPI does not guarantee its history prior to arrival in this country.
If you make a claim under the HPI Guarantee, we reserve the right to inspect the vehicle and to make the final decision as to its condition and value.
You are advised to consult the full HPI Guarantee Terms & Conditions for full details of the cover provided.

did yu conform to their conditions - if so yu have a valid claim against HPI.
 
The HPI Guarantee

At HPI, we work hard to ensure that the data we receive and manage is the best available but no data source is perfect. That's why your HPI vehicle check includes the HPI Guarantee. Subject to the HPI Guarantee Terms & Conditions, the HPI Guarantee provides up to £30,000(£15,000 for written off vehicles) reimbursement of financial loss you suffer arising from inaccurate or incomplete information we supply to you as part of the HPI Check. As you'd expect from HPI, the cover is the most comprehensive available today.

Here is a summary of the main conditions:

You need to carry out the HPI Check yourself, before you buy the vehicle - the Guarantee is not transferable.
You must supply us with the Vehicle Registration Mark (VRM) and the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to be eligible for maximum cover available under the HPI Guarantee. The HPI Guarantee will not apply if we advise you that the VRM does not match the VIN, so make sure the information you supply is accurate (pay particular attention to '5's and 'S's, '2's and 'Z's).
Before you buy the vehicle, you must make sure that all vehicle details provided by HPI match both the vehicle and its accompanying paperwork, and notify us of any discrepancies. As a minimum, you must obtain and check the V5 registration document with us, using our Document Check facility, prior to purchase.
You must check that all the VIN markings on the vehicle match each other and the corresponding V5 registration document.
You must keep and produce to us on request a written receipt for your purchase, signed by the seller, containing the key information needed to identify the seller and the vehicle (e.g. the seller's name and address, the identity and mileage of the vehicle purchased, the date of purchase and the amount you paid).
If you are buying the vehicle privately, you must buy it from the keeper, at the address shown on the V5. You must also check the identity of the seller.
You must buy the vehicle in a reasonably prudent manner (for example - claims will not be considered if you have paid 30% below the retail market value).

The cover provided is based on the car's value. In the case where HPI provides incorrect data affecting vehicle title (such as theft or outstanding finance), the HPI Guarantee will cover up to £30,000, either in compensation or the costs needed to obtain good title to the vehicle (at HPI's discretion). In the case where HPI provides incorrect data affecting the vehicle's condition, the HPI Guarantee will cover up to £15,000 or 50% of the market value of the car, whichever is the lower.
The HPI Guarantee does not cover the vehicle's descriptive information (including import status), mileage, value, V5 registration document checks, or if the loss has arisen as a result of a fraudulent transaction.
The HPI Guarantee is valid for two years from the date of the check.
The vehicle must be bought and registered in mainland Britain (i.e. it excludes Northern Ireland). If it has been imported, HPI does not guarantee its history prior to arrival in this country.
If you make a claim under the HPI Guarantee, we reserve the right to inspect the vehicle and to make the final decision as to its condition and value.
You are advised to consult the full HPI Guarantee Terms & Conditions for full details of the cover provided.

did yu conform to their conditions - if so yu have a valid claim against HPI.

Sounds like he could be in with a chance with this? Unless there is some hidden clause for cloned vehicles somewhere. :mad:
 
so what hes done is nicked a nice defender, had a legit 1 ready for scrapyard and took the i.d off it and put it on the dodgy defender. usual case really thats where they get i.d's from, buy a scrapper take some bits off it to sell, nick a landy and swap plates before nackered 1 goes to scrappers. bastards!
 
i dont think they bother with scrapping vehicles they just pick suitable number it dosent come up till change of owner or tax time
 
Make a stupid offer for it. Offer them a pound. I know of someone who bought a nicked disco for 12 grand. He offered the insurance a grand after they told him they wanted 14 for it and they accepted it.
 

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