Carzone Ad with my car reg being used?

Bolle

I was wondering what my car might fetch these days so I plugged in its details into carzone.

Lo and behold I came across a Mondeo for sale which has a picture of a Mondeo in a driveway with my car reg!

What's that all about and what should I do?

Does it mean there is a cloned Mondeo out there with my car reg? I don't fancy paying all that person's tolls etc if the cloned car actually exists. Or is it likely to be photoshop and there is another scam going on.

The ad is a private seller with a mobile phone number.

biko

Screengrab it and approach the guards. Sounds like a stolen car with cloned plates.

TestTransmission

I'm assuming its not a pic of your car aswell??

Dord

Sounds fairly dodgy! print it out ,print screen & save, and take it down to the garda station. I'd say bring ID and your car registration cert.

5T3PH3N

Are you sure your car isn't the clone:p

Bolle

The car is the same colour as my Mondeo but as there is only 1 pic, the only difference I can see is that the Carzone car has room for 2 disc holders while mine has room for 3.

I was thinking that it could be an old pic of my car before I bought it 15 months ago I suppose. However, the garage I got it from said they sourced it from a guy who sold ex-fleet Mondeos so I don't think it would have been for sale before to have the pic stolen (though I don't know this for sure). I'd trust my garage as we've known them for years.

Maybe I'm getting paranoid now, but if I have the registration documentation, I can't be driving the cloned car, can I?

goz83

Ring the seller and ask for the registration number. Tell him/her your browser is acting up and you cant make out the registration. Say you need it for an insurance quote and ask a few standard questions aswell. Try to get the address the car is selling from. Say you want to view, but you want to check insurance quotes first.

corktina

go to the Gards (but be prepared for your car to be taken off you if IT is the clone...50/50 probability...)

inforfun

So... how many of you have been doing a search on carzone after that?

I know i did

Bigcheeze

corktina wrote: »

go to the Gards (but be prepared for your car to be taken off you if IT is the clone...50/50 probability...)

As op bought from a long established dealer presumably he has some come back.

Indricotherium

goz83 wrote: »

Ring the seller and ask for the registration number. Tell him/her your browser is acting up and you cant make out the registration. Say you need it for an insurance quote and ask a few standard questions aswell. Try to get the address the car is selling from. Say you want to view, but you want to check insurance quotes first.

Don't do this.

Don't try to investigate yourself.

You have uncovered some kind of wrongdoing. It's a matter for the gardaí

the_syco

Bolle wrote: »

The car is the same colour as my Mondeo but as there is only 1 pic, the only difference I can see is that the Carzone car has room for 2 disc holders while mine has room for 3.

It'd only have two disc holders if the NCT doesn't apply to it, ie; it's new

goz83 wrote: »

Tell him/her your browser is acting up and you cant make out the registration. Say you need it for an insurance quote and ask a few standard questions aswell.

If you ring and ask questions, and the next day the Gardai take the car; you'll be the 1st person they'll look at.

recyclebin

Would your car have been on carzone when you bought it 15 months ago?

The seller may have just found a photo of your car in the archives and copied it for his ad.

I doubt someone would be so stupid to try sell a cloned car on such a well known website like carzone.

Bolle

I took another look at my car this morning. The reg plate on the Carzone car is affixed by the bolts at a different place to my car so I think it must be a different car. I re-checked the VIN number and my Ownership docs match the VIN on the car so unless I have a forged Ownership docs and the VIN has been forged as well I think I have the right car and the Carzone ad is the stolen one (but am a bit worried now!)

I don't think my car would have been put on Carzone previously as I was told it was sourced in the trade from a guy who sells ex-fleet cars. However, I don't know that for sure.

I think I'm going to contact my garage (out of courtesy) to see if I can find any other infomation about its background and then I'll go to the Guards. I don't fancy making my own enquiries as suggested by one poster!

Thanks for all the replies and I'll keep you updated.

Here we go!!!!

Another "car stolen in 2009" thread!

Chuck_Norris

urbanledge wrote: »

Here we go!!!!

Another "car stolen in 2009" thread!

Maybe this is the other person who bought the car the year before it was stolen?

dharn

looks like the first car stolen in 2009 story was a load of bo***ks we have not heard from him since

recyclebin

dharn wrote: »

looks like the first car stolen in 2009 story was a load of bo***ks we have not heard from him since

I've PM'd that guy Frynge about his car stolen in 2009 to see if he'll update his thread. He has been online this morning so he is still active on boards.

He better not have been a troll.

If he was trolling
well done to you sir and I tip my hat!

colm_mcm

urbanledge wrote: »

If he was trolling
well done to you sir and I tip my hat!

Easy way is to ask when the car is taxed till

You both can't have valid tax discs

You could also ring a ford dealer for the radio code. If it matches your radio then its unlikely you have the cloned car

billy few mates

I think you should go round and buy the car, then contact the Gardai and tell them the story, that way you'll still have 'a car' when they come around and seize the cloned one.....

recyclebin

urbanledge wrote: »

Here we go!!!!

Another "car stolen in 2009" thread!

I got a reply from Frynge to my PM. He still hasn't got the car back yet and will update the thread when he does.


Anyway back on topic. You could just go view the car and pretend to be an interested buyer. Have a look at the VIN number and then just tell the seller you have a few other cars to look at and you will get back to him.

You will then be able to locate him and recognise him if you have to go to the guards later.

billy few mates

Just make sure you don't turn up in 'the other car'.....

dingding

billy few mates wrote: »

I think you should go round and buy the car, then contact the Gardai and tell them the story, that way you'll still have 'a car' when they come around and seize the cloned one.....

However you will have paid for 2 cars and will be left with one car when the Gardai take the cloned one.

RossieMan

billy few mates wrote: »

Just make sure you don't turn up in 'the other car'.....

or, make sure you do.

Be a good one to see their reaction.

Jammy Donut

Seen it happen before with a Mondeo, someone parked longside an identical car in a garage. Turned out that the other car had the wrong reg plates from new and was 1 digit off its proper reg.

No-one ever noticed because, both cars were identical so you wouldn't know until you compared the reg to the TaxBook/Tax Disk or parked them side by side.

Anyway OP use mywheels.ie and input similar regs, I.e your car is 07KY19870 try 07KY19871 etc... And see is their another same spec Mondeo.

HellFireClub

Bolle wrote: »

I was wondering what my car might fetch these days so I plugged in its details into carzone.

Lo and behold I came across a Mondeo for sale which has a picture of a Mondeo in a driveway with my car reg!

What's that all about and what should I do?

Does it mean there is a cloned Mondeo out there with my car reg? I don't fancy paying all that person's tolls etc if the cloned car actually exists. Or is it likely to be photoshop and there is another scam going on.

The ad is a private seller with a mobile phone number.

This car is eventually going to be sold to some poor sucker for a ball of cash as part of a scam, contact the Gardai IMMEDIATELY, let them set up a sting operate and catch this c*nt by the balls. It's rare a chance comes along to catch these scumbags.

Dr_Colossus

HellFireClub wrote: »

catch this c*nt by the balls

A bit of a contradiction? Otherwise well said

johngalway

HellFireClub wrote: »

This car is eventually going to be sold to some poor sucker for a ball of cash as part of a scam, contact the Gardai IMMEDIATELY, let them set up a sting operate and catch this c*nt by the balls. It's rare a chance comes along to catch these scumbags.

I'd be inclined to act today as well. Would anyone here like to buy a cloned car to have it taken off them a few days later?

oregano

Op is the other mondeo priced keenly?

When I had old photos to my Alfa worth 6950 put up by a scammer on a private sale on carzone it was advertised at 3500, quick buck etc...

alias no.9

Bolle wrote: »

I took another look at my car this morning. The reg plate on the Carzone car is affixed by the bolts at a different place to my car so I think it must be a different car. I re-checked the VIN number and my Ownership docs match the VIN on the car so unless I have a forged Ownership docs and the VIN has been forged as well I think I have the right car and the Carzone ad is the stolen one (but am a bit worried now!)

I don't think my car would have been put on Carzone previously as I was told it was sourced in the trade from a guy who sells ex-fleet cars. However, I don't know that for sure.

I think I'm going to contact my garage (out of courtesy) to see if I can find any other infomation about its background and then I'll go to the Guards. I don't fancy making my own enquiries as suggested by one poster!
Thanks for all the replies and I'll keep you updated.

Go straight to the Gardai, don't waste your time with the garage.

billy few mates

If it was a scam, why would they take a chance by including the registration in the ad....?
Anytime I've ever sold a car online I always take care to ensure I edit the pics to make sure only the year and county indicator can be seen (08DXXXX for example), a lot of people do the same.

If I was selling a cloned car, I'd take great care to ensure the 'borrowed reg' was kept as low key as possible to ensure something like this doesn't happen....:cool:

Gingernuts31

This sounds like a scam big time. A neighbour of mine had a merc for sale on the net (don't know site) and they got a few calls about it. One guy in particular wanted to pay them by cheque and they were going to accept it but we weary of it of course. End result was they actually spotted their car for sale on the net by the guy who was going to give them a cheque for it.

Lokks like the cheque would have bounced, all paperwork have have given ownership to dodgy guy and he would have been able to sell the car for 14 grand with no questions asked.

rebel.ranter

We often had fleet cars with incorrect registration plates, or it could also be consecutive plates with numbers being very similar. Are you 100% that the number is exactly yours? All our jeeps were one after the other when they were purchased in batches.

dingding

Gingernuts31 wrote: »

This sounds like a scam big time. A neighbour of mine had a merc for sale on the net (don't know site) and they got a few calls about it. One guy in particular wanted to pay them by cheque and they were going to accept it but we weary of it of course. End result was they actually spotted their car for sale on the net by the guy who was going to give them a cheque for it.

Lokks like the cheque would have bounced, all paperwork have have given ownership to dodgy guy and he would have been able to sell the car for 14 grand with no questions asked.

Heard of another case like this where a car was purchased with a dodgy bank draft and sold on immediately. The car past all checks as it was not listed as stolen when it was sold on. Beware of any cars that are cheap for a quick cash sale where the buyer will only take cash. And they won't meet in their house / garage.

Atticus Jung

billy few mates wrote: »

If it was a scam, why would they take a chance by including the registration in the ad....?
Anytime I've ever sold a car online I always take care to ensure I edit the pics to make sure only the year and county indicator can be seen (08DXXXX for example), a lot of people do the same.

If I was selling a cloned car, I'd take great care to ensure the 'borrowed reg' was kept as low key as possible to ensure something like this doesn't happen....:cool:

Well its possible the seller doesn't know there's something wrong, or else there is something wrong with the op's car. Both cant be legit. Get to the guards IMO. Ya, there is a risk you'll lose your car, but if you bought it from a reputable seller they would be very unwise to not compensate you in some way. The last thing they want is to get a rep for selling cloned or stolen cars.

billy few mates

So what happened....?

billy few mates

I guess we'll never know.....

dharn

Ya another time waster on boards:(

MarkR

Bet Frynge cloned the car with his new found knowledge of stolen cars.

colm_mcm

OP, if there any updates on this story, feel free to PM me, until then this I'll be closed

Bolle

Just wanted to send an update in case people thought I was a time waster!

I went to the Gardai the day after posting as suggested.

They took a statement and said they'd be in touch.

I got a phone call subsequently from the Guard to say that he had phoned the number on the ad and the guy said that he had sold that car "a year ago". I don't know if he pretended to be an interested buyer or he introduced himself as Garda X!

The guard then asked me what garage I had bought my car from which I told him and he said he would get back to me.

I haven't heard from the Guard since.

I also spoke with my garage who said they sourced it from another garage so they don't know if it was sold previously on Carzone.

So, it looks like it may have just been an old Carzone ad but I'll update again if I get confirmation.

I appreciate everyone's time so far.

dharn

thanks for the update