Hi,

I found your forum after almost getting caught out. The deal looked to good to be true, and yes, of course it is.

Going through my case, I think I've found a possible way to catch these guys...

They must get the car details plus copies of the V5 and a selection of bills by going to view a car when it is offered for sale, they then use low resolution copies of these to help with their story that they own the car.

In my case, the V5 was just about clear enough to make out the previous owners name, and through directory enquiries I have his phone number. I will try and phone him tonight to alert him that his old car is being used for a scam, hopefully he will also alert the current owner.

Most usefully, he must have met the scam artist when he viewed the car, and would remember who he was, as he took pictures of the documents. This means we've got a fighting chance of getting this guys actual phone number (from when he arranged the appointment). He probably never figured on being traced back, so this is probably his real number. With his number, it's possible to either go through the phone company to find his identity, or to set up a meeting under some false pretence.

If the police were willing to get involved, we could catch him...

I believe it's possible to get to him thorough other scams too, just respond, ask to see the documents, he will send a low-res copy of the V5 and from there we can contact the owner...

Does anyone agree that this is worth trying ?

Mark