Crime on the rise - Things to be aware of
The small percentage of all cars, which are checked on the My Car Check website, show that they are registered as stolen. UK car crime is on the rise. Here are a few useful things to be aware of.
Vehicle-related burglary
Did you know when someone breaks in to the house and takes the car keys and steals the car, is not recorded as vehicle crime.
Stay safe: make sure your keys are kept in a safe place, do not leave them near the doors or windows where they are visible to an outsider.
Vehicle-related fraud
Again, this is not classed as vehicle crime, but affects mainly used car buyers.
Stay safe: when buying a used car try to do the following things to be safe so your money does not go to waste.
- Research the car dealer (try look at the reviews if they have a website)
- If you are buying from a private seller ask them plenty of questions to get that peace of mind and if you are still unsure, carry out a vehicle history check
- Paperwork – make sure it matches the car and everything looks genuine
Vehicle clocking
This is not known as theft but is still a car crime vehicle clocking is when a vehicle with high mileage is clocked back to reduce the mileage. This allows the seller to try and sell the car for more because it looks like it has not been used as much.
Stay safe: Check all the paperwork and MOT history make sure it looks legit and always carry out a vehicle check to be on the safe side .
Vehicle slaughtering
This is where a stolen vehicle parts are stripped, and then sold as spare parts. Valuable people who might be looking for parts will buy them without knowing they are from a stolen vehicle.
Stay safe: When buying spare parts for your car, use a reputable parts dealer and if in doubt check all the identity tags and serial numbers to see if they have been tampered with.
This article is bought to you by My Car Check. My Car Check is a vehicle check website, which provides information about a vehicle, for example, if it was stolen, written off or still on finance.
