Important Information

"Ringing" and "Cloning" is a serious problem so please note that you should check the numbers/details on the actual vehicle against the registration documents and data check results...do not take things as read!! Some of the criminals who operate in this arena can be extremely good at these illegal activities and therefore a ringed or cloned vehicle can sometimes be very hard to spot and the criminals will be relying on you not doing thorough checks, so take your time check all the numbers, if anything looks or feels dodgy ask for an explanation and if a satisfactory one is not given or you have any doubts my advice would to walk away or get a profession inspection done. You should also be aware that if the vehicle details i.e.Vehicle Registration Number(VRM) and the vehicle identification number(VIN) that you supply do not match that in the event of a insurance claim against a data check provider they are unlikely to except the claim, so take care when reading numbers particularly with 2's, 5's, S's, Z's. 

"Cloning" explained

Cloning is a practice whereby a vehicle is stolen and then its genuine identity markings removed and changed to reflect the identity of a legitimate vehicle that is currently in use on the road. Thus the stolen vehicle assumes the identity of the legitimate vehicle and two vehicles are now being used with the same vehicle registration number. The cloned vehicle is often sold without a V5 or in many instances the criminal obtains either a replacement orduplicate V5 document from DVLA, thus further legitimising the stolen vehicle.

"Ringing" explained

Ringing is the practice where a stolen vehicle’s identity is swapped with that of a salvaged vehicle. For a criminal to successfully ring a vehicle a “new identity” must first be found. This new identity can easily be obtained from a scrapped vehicle found in a salvage yard, known as the “donor vehicle”. The donor vehicle (the one from which the identity would be taken from) would be purchased from a vehicle salvage yard. The main sources of identity on a vehicle are its Vehicle Identity Number (VIN) which is stamped into the frame, body or chassis at some location (the “stamped in VIN”), a VIN plate which replicates the manufacturers stamped in VIN, an engine number,(which would be stamped or etched into the engine block), and the vehicle registration mark (VRM) displayed on the number plates. When a vehicle is stolen, some or all of its above mentioned genuine identity markings would be removed and replaced with that of the identity removed from the donor vehicle. Thus the stolen vehicle assumes the identity of the donor vehicle.