Car Thieves Cashing in on DVLA Loophole

Posted on April 18, 2012 by admin

A DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) loophole means that vehicles can be scrapped without any proof of ownership being provided, leaving the process wide open to fraud. Anyone can claim a vehicle is theirs, contact a dismantling company, arrange for it to be collected and then receive cash for the scrap value of the vehicle.

Currently there is no need for any paperwork, such as a V5 registration document, and given the increase in the price of scrap metal, it is little wonder that more and more vehicles are rapidly disappearing from the roads of the United Kingdom.

George Harrison found out how easy it is when he returned from a two-week holiday and found his Ford Mondeo missing. He contacted the police who looked into it and found that according to the DVLA records the car had been scrapped while he was away. George was told by the DVLA that a Glasgow firm, IBP Vehicle Dismantlers, had registered the car’s scrapping. He has handed this information to the police who have promised to investigate.

George said: “The car was only worth about £1000, but it was mine. I am mad at myself because I did not even have motor insurance so I am unable make a claim. I’d had the chance of another vehicle and transferred my policy to that. I couldn’t afford to pay insurance for both of them. The law in relation to scrapping must be tightened up. It’s outrageous.”

IBP Vehicle Dismantlers confirmed that the person claiming to be the owner did not possess a V5 registration document and so they were asked to fill out a form with their contact details before they took the car. They are themselves shocked to hear the car was stolen and have handed over all the information they have and are fully cooperating with the police investigation.

Yobs make sure that it will not be a happy New Year for drivers

Posted on December 30, 2011 by admin

Residents of Leigh Road in Penhill are furious after thirty of them had their vehicles damaged by a group of vandals overnight. The police have said the damage, which will run into thousands of pounds, was a deliberate act of vandalism.

All of the vehicles had deep scratches along both sides and also on the bonnet. The police say the scratches were caused by either a knife or a ring and they are appealing to residents with CCTV security cameras to inspect their footage for anything suspicious. Around half of the vehicles also have significant dents in the doors where it looks like someone has violently kicked the vehicle.

Resident Dawn Richards who has already been in touch with her car insurance broker said: “It’s a lot of damage – they’ve scratched it from one end to another and on the bonnet. It’s not a two-minute job. I was one of the first to notice it and went to ask my neighbour, who then went to look at her car. I think there have been at least 30 – my two daughters were visiting for Christmas and New Year had their cars damaged too. It is annoying as people work hard and save for a long time to buy nice cars and then someone comes along and damages it.”

Investigating officers believe there may be even more victims as some residents may not have reported the damage and others may have already left the area until the New Year. A spokesman for the force said: “This was both a mindless and deliberate attack on people’s property that has left them all upset and angry. It will cost a lot of money to put right and has inconvenienced families over the Christmas period.” With the damage costing so much to repair, most drivers have already contacted their insurance company. In most cases this will mean the loss of any no-claims bonus and possibly higher premiums on renewal.

Man who made a fortune from cash for crashes will face a jail term

Posted on December 2, 2011 by admin

The boss of a Bolton based legal claims firm who worked with a team of conmen to fraudulently make thousands of pounds in staged “crash for cash” accidents has appeared in court. Asif Mallu pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud and was told by the judge he faces jail.

Mr Mallu admitted conspiring with more than ten bogus claimants and was responsible for over ninety staged car crashes throughout the North West. Mr Mallu ran the Bolton based company 24/7 Direct Claims, which earned large fees for referring people who were involved in accidents to solicitors. The court heard that he created false invoices to support the bogus claim for vehicle recovery, storage and repair after a number of crashes. He also represented fraudulent claimants who were making personal injury claims. If he had not been caught he would have conned tens of thousands of pounds from insurance companies. He has just started a two-week trial, but changed his plea to guilty just before the hearing started.

Judge Bernard Lever told Mallu: “You have pleaded guilty to this charge, and people who plead guilty always get dealt with more leniently than people who try to lie their way to get out of things. But the fact you have been granted bail gives no indication as to the sentence you will receive.”

The sentencing of Mallu will mark the end of four years complex work by a specialist team of Greater Manchester Police road crime investigators. The court will also hear how much money was made from the fraud. Bolton has been named in reports by numerous organisations as one of the worst places in the United Kingdom for “crash for cash” fraud. It is estimated that motoring insurance fraud adds £44 to every driver’s motor insurance quote and costs £350 million a year nationally.

Help at hand for motoring offenders

Posted on December 1, 2011 by admin

Drivers who want to fight a motoring conviction will have a new ally in the future as a website complete with “virtual lawyers” has been created to help them clear their name.

At a time when motoring costs are at their highest many drivers find their car insurance raises astronomically if they have driving convictions on their licence. Affording legal advice and representation to question a conviction is known to be expensive and only used by the rich and famous. Well that may no longer be the case.

The website, Road Traffic Representation, offers drivers free information on the likely outcome of a brush with the Traffic Police on all manner of common driving offences including, drink-driving and speeding. It explains how the law works in regard to fixed penalty violations and what to do when you receive a court summons. Primarily the website aims to help those who feel they have been charged wrongly and want to fight their corner.

Solicitor Martin Langan, who devised the website, said “Legal services are not perceived as particularly accessible. People needing legal advice are often worried about the cost and may find it difficult to take time off work or away from other obligations to see a solicitor.” The site offers free advice up to a point and then gives users the chance to arrange a meeting with a solicitor for a basic £35 fee if they feel they may have a case.

It is a fact that more motorists are now falling foul of the law than ever before. With over 700,000 convictions between March 2010 to March 2011 drivers are contributing a steady stream of income into the Government coffers. Almost half of the convictions were first offences and Mr Langan believes his website could help many of those drivers unaware of the processes of law.

Running a vehicle is getting no cheaper

Posted on November 25, 2011 by admin

Research carried out by a leading motoring group shows that motorists are not just being hit by soaring fuel prices; they have also seen a rapid increase in the cost of premiums on a motor insurance quote, higher garage repair fees and a fall in the resale value of their vehicles.

This all means that drivers are now paying 14% more than they did a year ago to run their vehicle. And the huge increase is almost three times the rate of inflation. The RAC figures show that the average motorist is now paying £6,700 each year in motoring costs, compared with £5,990 last November. The data will intensify pressure on George Osborne to scrap the two planned increases in fuel next year which, if confirmed will add another seven pence to a litre of unleaded.

Car insurance quotes have gone up by 14.5% with the average premium reaching £551. Motorists have found that they have to pay for the rising number of personal injury claims, insurance fraud and accidents which are caused by an uninsured driver. However, the research shows that drivers know it is not just down to the Coalition Government. Oil companies need to be more transparent over pricing so that everyone knows where the money they pay for fuel is going.

Adrian Tink, the RAC’s motoring strategist, said “With the annual cost of motoring approaching seven thousand pounds the price burden of car ownership is hitting drivers hard. The increase is crippling drivers’ wallets and something has to be done to stem the tide. With fuel prices continuing to be the biggest single running cost, UK drivers want action from the Government. At the very least, we are calling for the scrapping of next year’s planned fuel duty increases. Further increases to fuel prices are simply a step too far.”

GMP determined to keep the city centre safe

Posted on August 15, 2011 by admin

Police in Manchester have confirmed that they used number plate spotting technology to keep known criminals away from Manchester for three days after the riots. Police Officers were stationed at key routes on the cusp of the city limits checking registration plates against a number of national databases.

Known criminals who were caught trying to get to the city centre were intercepted and ordered to turn around. On Wednesday evening, fifty cars were stopped from entering the city by officers who were determined to keep the streets as trouble-free as possible. Seven officers were injured in Salford on Tuesday night after a mob bombarded them with breeze blocks, paving stones, bottles and bricks. Cars were set on fire and damaged; meaning residents had to claim on the policy they took out after getting a motor insurance quote.

Chief Constable Peter Fahy said: “Quite a number of those turned away had serious previous convictions. We are capitalising on the public’s mood – one of being appalled at what has happened. People are now talking to us who have never done so before. But there should not be a knee-jerk reaction away from neighbourhood policing – that is still the best way to gather intelligence and keep in touch with the community. The number of police on the streets will remain high throughout the next week. We are on top of the situation and the policy will be repeated if trouble flares again.”

Greater Manchester Police have also been showing the faces of suspected looters on huge screens as they tighten the net on the rioters and looters. The ‘Shop a Looter’ campaign has just been launched by Police who will drive round with digital images of suspected looters. The pictures will also be projected on to the cities giant screens in Piccadilly Gardens. The Police have also confirmed that everyone captured on CCTV would be getting a visit very soon.

Safety partnership to help drivers protect their vehicles

Posted on July 25, 2011 by admin

Basildon Community Safety Partnership is handing out over 2000 kits which will hopefully help drivers reduce the chances of a break-in to their vehicle. The free packs include four items which have been designed to help motorists do their bit in the never ending war on car thefts and at the same time bring premiums down on motor insurance quotes for drivers in the area.

The Safety Partnership is made up of the council, police, and other organisations who are working hard to cut crime on cars. The free pack includes an air freshener that has a reminder written on it telling drivers and passengers not to leave valuables in the vehicle, and a sticker for the window which says: “Don’t Bother breaking into this vehicle as there are no items of worth.” The free kit also has a windscreen cloth to encourage drivers to remove the sucker marks left by valuable Sat Navs on the windscreen. Even though the device has been removed from the vehicle, the marks on the window alert thieves to the possibility that there may be GPS devices somewhere in the car. Finally the pack has tamper-proof number plate screws to stop them being stolen and used in a crime on a later date.

Frank Tomlin from Basildon Council said: “There has been a recent increase in vehicle crime in the borough and these packs will help motorists deter criminals from targeting their car as most vehicle crime is opportunistic. The Together Against Crime event is an excellent opportunity for our residents to pick up crime prevention advice and find out more about the partnership and the initiatives we have put in place to help reduce crime and antisocial behaviour in the borough year on year.”

Basildon Community Safety Partnership will be available to give advice at the Together Against Crime event at the coming weekend where they will have a stall and displays.

Hospital staff furious after vehicles are vandalised

Posted on July 15, 2011 by admin

Staff working at the Western General Hospital in Scotland are furious after vandals caused damage to a number of cars while their owners were busy tending the sick. The damage comes as residents who live close to the hospital have complained that staff are parking on their streets.

Residents are angry that staff are taking their parking places outside their homes and in some cases they are blocking drive-ways making it impossible to get in or out. Hospital workers claim they are being prevented from parking at the hospital itself and while there is no evidence that local residents are responsible for the damage, it has led to tempers rising even further in the dispute that shows no signs of ending. In June, residents hit out at the local council bosses after they failed to paint parking restrictions on their streets that would have prevented any hospital staff from using them to park their vehicles. Meanwhile staff, some of whom are now facing an increased car insurance quotes after claiming for the damage done to their vehicles, insist they have no other place to park.

One nurse, who did not want to be named, said “Not so very long ago the Western General Hospital had a two-storey car park built, one level of which, we were assured, would be for staff and the other for patients and visitors. Once the car park was finished, however, the powers-that-be reneged on this promise and removed the right of staff to use it. Staff are therefore forced to park in the nearby residential streets. Staff – myself included – have been met with verbal abuse and hostile behaviour from residents who are angry at the situation.”

Health chiefs opened the new car park at the hospital in February last year and hoped it would ease congestion. The number of complaints about available spaces has increased since hospital parking charges were scrapped two years ago. The hospital say they have a green transport policy and they encourage members of staff to use greener methods of getting to work, such as car sharing, public transport or cycling to work. Any staff that have no option but to drive to work are given staff parking permits which will ensure that essential vehicle users are able to park at the hospital.

Drunk nine year old caught driving a stolen car

Posted on May 18, 2011 by admin

A boy aged just nine was apprehended in Cumbria this week for driving offences. The boy, who is too young to be prosecuted by the police for a criminal offence, was arrested in Cumbria for being drunk behind the wheel. The shocking fact is that the boy is only one of hundreds of underage drivers who commit offences on the roads of the UK every week.

He was breathalysed at the scene and when he failed the test was then taken to the police station where stunned officers discovered his age was just nine, which means he is not old enough to be held accountable for his actions. What is just as alarming is the fact the he is just one of over 2000 juveniles arrested for crimes which include car theft and drink driving in Cumbria during the last two years. Sadly the problem is not restricted to Cumbria alone, as arrests are made throughout the United Kingdom. The figures have stunned safety campaigners who say better teaching of road safety awareness should be made a priority.

Kath Hartley, from the Brake charity, said “It’s incredibly concerning that young people many of whom will have had no formal driving tuition, are risking their own and other’s lives on our roads. This must be addressed as a matter of urgency. It is a clear example of why we need road safety education as part of the National Curriculum. Youngsters who are not old enough to get a car insurance quote must be taught the dangers of getting behind the wheel without proper training.”

However, police have stressed that these figures, alarming as they are, form only part of the overall picture. There were less vehicle crimes last year compared to the previous year and juvenile offences, where a vehicle was involved, was also down. The police are also working closely with road safety organisations to educate the young about the dangers encountered on the roads.

Police make fifteen arrests in connection with vehicle thefts

Posted on May 13, 2011 by admin

Greater Manchester Police have made fifteen arrests following an investigation into the sale of stolen cars through vehicle trading websites. The cars were sold to innocent buyers, sometimes within hours of being stolen.

The police targeted twenty five addresses in Rochdale and Tameside and arrested seven men and eight women aged between 25 and 40 on suspicion of conspiracy to steal, conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to launder the money made from the thefts. They remain in custody for questioning after the police were granted extra time to interview them. During the raids police also recovered four cars worth around £100,000 and a large quantity of controlled drugs.

Police investigated the scam where registration number plates are obtained and then used to make stolen vehicles look genuine. They are then sold to members of the public using online websites such as Auto Trader.

Superintendent Alan Lyon said: “Today’s action follows a sensitive and thoroughly planned police operation into what we believe is an active organised criminal network trying to launder cash from stolen cars. Scams like this can have a lasting impact on victims. Today’s action shows Greater Manchester Police is taking a firm view on tacking burglary and its causes.”

Buyers have been urged to avoid purchasing a vehicle via a cash transaction and also to be wary of a vehicle when they come across what seems to be an appealing price. Online car websites do take fraud extremely seriously and will work in any way they can with the police to keep their users safe from scams. Anyone thinking of conducting a cash deal is advised to conduct all the necessary checks beforehand. Many innocent victims are not aware of any wrong doing until they start looking for motor insurance quotes. Anyone unsure should take a look around the online websites as they will provide comprehensive guidelines and safety recommendations to help buyers make sure the seller is reputable.