Fraud Red Flag
Cloned vehicle
A stolen or written-off vehicle wearing the identity (plates, V5C, VIN) of a legitimate vehicle of the same make and model.
Cloning is one of the most commonly reported vehicle frauds in the UK. The legitimate car continues to exist; its owner often discovers the clone when parking fines, NIPs or insurance claims arrive for offences they did not commit.
The four checks that catch most clones: VINs match in all three physical locations (windscreen, manufacturer's plate, chassis); the V5C document number matches the DVLA record; the manufacturer's plate is factory-riveted; and the seller can produce both keys with a matching transponder pair.