Vehicle information company fears counterfeit V5s will be used

Vehicle information company HPI has issued a warning about stolen or counterfeit V5 car ownership forms being used to take benefit of the scrappage scheme.

Under the scrappage scheme, buyers will need proof that they have owned a car that's at least ten years old for a year in order to be eligible for the £2000 grant.

HPI fears that fraudsters will use counterfeit V5s to prove they have owned a car for more than a year.

Daniel Burgess, Director of Automotive at HPI said: "We have a concern that car criminals will use stolen V5s to prove they’ve been the registered keeper for at least 12 months’.

As a result, dealers are being urged to check for V5s that have a slightly different background colour on the Notification of Permanent Export tear-off slip.

Counterfeit V5s usually appear mauve on the front and pink on the reverse. Genuine documents should be mauve on both sides.

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