A recent article on the automotive news site, Wheels24, has made us revisit a post we have (follow this link: http://www.usedcarsforsale.co.za/news/29/gumtree-used-car-buyers-and-sellers-heads-up to read it) about the fraud conducted by private sellers on the many vehicle classifieds sites out there. Granted, the sites themselves are usually legitimate, but the perpetrators are obviously not. The incident (discussed on Wheels24) is about a cloned Toyota Hilux D4D, which even more unfortunate in this case, the buyer purchased from a car dealership and not a private seller.

According to the SA Insurance Crime Bureau (SAICB), a cloned car is a motor vehicle that “has had its identity changed, usually because it is a stolen or hijacked vehicle.” The actual cloning takes place when the cars' printed VIN sticker, stamped VIN number, and the stamped engine number of legally owned cars are reproduced onto the stolen or hijacked vehicles of the same manufacturer, model and even colour.

To protect yourself against this unfortunate circumstance, we advise you to buy only from trusted car dealers. Our website, UsedCarsForSale only deals with above board and credible dealerships, who advertise their cars on the integrity that these vehicles are not stolen/hijacked. Furthermore, as per Consumer Protection Act, you (the buyer) have the power to take up any issue that your car might be a clone with the dealer itself, your bank (if a bank has financed your purchase), or other legal avenues. This is a growing problem for South African car buyers who may be duped into these schemes, many of which are conducted by syndicates, whose schemes can remain undetected even for dealers. The onus is on the dealership's personnel to also take the necessary due diligence when assessing whether the car is legitimate or not, so to avoid any future liability. As in the article, the AA also missed the fact that the buyer's Toyota Hilux was a clone. And it's easy to understand how the seller got away with forwarding a cloned bakkie to the dealer.

The criminals have a number of ways to get cars cloned. The most common is to use the details of exported vehicles, wherein the vehicle is no longer in the country and hard to track, thus opening “free” use of its information onto stolen or hijacked car. Also, private sellers can be working with the SAPS or other officials to re-register legal cars while the records are still live, wherein the legal owner of the vehicle would later find out that his or her car is no longer registered in their name. There have been many incidents where police vans have been cloned as well, allowing the syndicates to pose as SAPS officials.

Used cars are usually easier to clone, thus, we advise that you ask for the car's service book or the owner's manual when you are considering a purchase. The best way to counter this is for you to keep informed about the car buying process and be as vigilant as possible. Staying a step ahead will save you the headache of legal issues in the long run.

Author: Pierre Theron