Cardiff man loses £13K in ‘truly terrible’ car clone fraud

A man who unknowingly bought a stolen car for £13,000 is urging others to be careful after fraudsters allegedly used a sophisticated identity theft method to “clone” the vehicle.

Sevak Maljian, 35, made what appeared to be a well-researched purchase of a Kia EV6, unaware that the car had been sold to him with another vehicle’s duplicate ID documents, ID numbers and what appeared to be a genuine DVLA V5C logbook.

“All the details matched… there was no need to question it,” said the car enthusiast from Cardiff.

Police said they were notified that the car had been reported stolen and it had now been seized. Report Scam City of London Police Analysis Services assessed the case.

Car cloning may be as simple as stealing license plates, but the type of fraud has become more sophisticated, leaving second-hand car buyers vulnerable.

Although there are no official figures for car cloning across the UK, motoring organization the RAC believes “it is becoming increasingly common”.

Mr Maljian, a physiotherapist and NHS project support officer, said he first saw the three-year-old electric car advertised on Facebook in September and after messaging the seller they agreed an “attractive price” if paid in cash.

He traveled to London and met the seller outside Putney station on 5 October before spotting the car outside the address listed on the DVLA V5C vehicle registration certificate (logbook).

As a car enthusiast who had purchased second-hand cars before, Mr. Maljian believed he had taken every precaution.

“I have carried out all the checks recommended by the DVLA,” he told BBC Radio 4. You and Yours.

“I started by checking the MOT, checking the mileage and then doing a Total Vehicle Check. It showed clean finances, clear HPI, no accidents.

“All details matched, including the vehicle’s mileage, color and specifications.”

The seller also showed him a real logbook with watermarks on it and a matching ID.

“There was no reason to ask,” he said.

Cars also have a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) stamped on the chassis, which is the main load-bearing frame of the vehicle; but this number can also be found on the windshield, near the dashboard or on the door jamb.

Mr Maljian said: “I checked easily accessible areas on the windshield and door, but not the undercarriage because it is generally not an accessible place.”

While an all-cash payment might have set off “some” alarm bells, he was confident that if he did all the checks, he’d have nothing to worry about.

Mr Maljian said the dealer “earned my trust in every respect” and drove the 200 miles (320 km) to Cardiff without any problems.

The shock came days later when he took the car to a local Kia dealer and learned about the faulty button on the key fob that gave access to the trunk.

Staff realized the key was fake, and further inspection revealed that the VIN on the chassis did not match that on the windshield and door.

Police confirmed that Mr Maljian had been notified that the vehicle had been stolen in Kent and seized the vehicle.

Mr Maljian, who took out a personal loan to buy the car, is left with nothing and still has to pay £236 a month to repay the debt.

“I was really in shock,” he said.

“I’m a victim. I lost my money… I’m paying for five years for something I don’t have.”

He says he is disappointed that multiple layers of security, DVLA documents, VINs and key coding systems can be bypassed.

He contacted Kia, stating that the car was still under warranty and that security should not be compromised on such a “high value product”.

A spokesman for Kia said it was “regretted” by what happened and advised Mr Maljian to continue working with the police and DVLA.

A DVLA spokesperson said: “We understand how distressing vehicle crime can be. We encourage buyers to follow the guidance on GOV.UK, such as checking vehicle identification number details and verifying the seller’s identity, to help reduce the risk of fraud.

“Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of fraud should contact police immediately via Report Scam.”

The case was assessed by Fraud Report, formerly known as Action Fraud, the national reporting service for cybercrime and fraud in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, before being passed on to the Fraud Report Analysis Services, run by the City of London Police.

A Fraud Report spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, not every case is referred to law enforcement for investigative opportunities.

“There are different ways to handle a report that is not forwarded to a police force.

“These include Fraud Victim Reporting Services, which support victims of cybercrime and fraud with expert advice and help victims recover their losses.”

Although there are no official figures for car cloning across the UK, motoring organization the RAC believes “it is becoming increasingly common”.

The RAC’s Simon Williams described Mr Maljian’s situation as “truly appalling”.

He said: “Criminals today go to incredible lengths and unfortunately steal cars and defeat security systems with extreme ease.”

He added that Mr Maljian had carried out many correct checks and found the existence of what appeared to be a genuine DVLA logbook particularly disturbing.

He urged buyers to verify that the seller actually lives at the address on the V5C registry, check every VIN, including the chassis, and consider buying from reputable dealers instead.