- 70% of motorists don’t make basic background checks when buying second hand cars
- There were 81,000 vehicle thefts last year
- Motor Finance Fraud costs the UK £10.9 million
Our Background Reports will offer motorists greater protection against deception and fraud.
The reports will enable motorists to know who they are buying their car from, enabling the background checking of sole traders and salesmen. Over 40 million people in the UK will be accounted for.
192.com’s Background Reports display names, ages and addresses, property ownership, director records, financial, and shareholding information.
Charles Reis of the British Motorist Association says: “The association supports any initiatives that help protect the car buyer in what is normally a major personal investment. The concept of verifying the seller alongside the established practice of checking the vehicle itself is a great new idea and we look forward to seeing it in action through 192.com.”
The reports launch as 192.com’s nationally representative poll found that:
- Just one in five learned as much as they could about the seller of the car.
- 73% do not verify a seller’s name and address against other sources.
- 70% did not verify a vehicle’s identification number.
- 70% did not conduct a HPI check.
- When buying a second hand car, 57% did not check the vehicle’s V5 logbook.
- 60% do not make sure the Vehicle’s MOT is up to date.
The Background Reports will also help alleviate car cloning. A 192.com survey found that more than one in 10 motorists claim to have been “ripped off” when buying a used car, with one third claiming they no longer trust car dealers when making a financial transaction.
Dominic Blackburn, Product Director of 192.com said: “Background Reports offer protection from falsehoods and fraud, enabling motorists to better protect themselves when buying a second hand car from an individual or small business.”
Insolvency records and county court judgements in the Background Reports will reveal unpaid debts, and mortality data will help expose identities stolen from the deceased.
Address information will show where someone lives, has lived previously, and who with. The residential listings also display neighbour’s contact details, and demographic profiles of neighbourhoods.
The Background Reports are available for purchase through 192.com’s website and utilise data from leading official public sources including the Edited Electoral Roll, Companies House information, the Land Registry, The Insolvency Service and data from the Registry Trust.