How to avoid scams when buying or selling a used car in the UK — payment scams, Facebook Marketplace, cloned cars, and finance fraud.
Check any UK car before you buy — free.
How to spot a clocked car before you buy: read the mileage at every MOT test since 2005 on GOV.UK, match it to the paperwork and wear, and what to do if false.
Check a used car is not a clone: match the registration, log book, VIN and MOT history to the car in front of you. Plus what to do if fines arrive for a clone.
The official way to check a used car is not stolen: match the V5C, VIN and engine number, run the free DVLA and MOT checks, and know when to call the police.
What the £1.99 Full Vehicle Identity check shows: plate, VIN and engine number matching, status markers, V5C history and an identity verdict from Experian.
What the £2.99 Stolen Vehicle Check shows, how the Police National Computer marker is checked through Experian, and what to do if a car is flagged as stolen.
What the £1.99 VIN Decode report shows from a 17-character chassis number, where the Cartell data comes from, and how to use it to catch a cloned car.
The moment you transfer money is the most dangerous part of buying a car. Fake bank transfers, escrow fraud, overpayment scams. How to pay safely.
A cloned car looks legitimate, has real paperwork, and is actually stolen. 7 red flags to spot a clone before you hand over money. Free UK guide.
Used-car fraud works because the sums are large, the buyers are excited and the sellers are trusting. The most damaging scam for buyers is the cloned car — a stolen vehicle wearing the identity of a legitimate one. The advert looks normal, the plates and paperwork match a real car, and the price is just tempting enough. The defences are simple: view the car at the keeper's address shown on the V5C, check the VIN on the car matches the logbook, and walk away from any deal that has to happen quickly, remotely or in a car park.
Deposit scams target buyers before they ever see a car — a payment to "hold" a vehicle that doesn't exist, often on a cloned listing with real photos. Never pay a holding deposit to someone you haven't met, and treat bank-transfer-only sellers of unseen cars as the risk they are.
Sellers face the mirror image: fake payment confirmation emails, overpayment refund tricks, and test drives that end with the car gone. Release the car only when the money is cleared in your account, and hold the keys during test drives until you've verified the driver's licence and insurance. The guides below take each scam apart in detail.
Check any UK car before you buy — free.