HPI joins forces with Police over car cloning

Vehicle information expert, HPI, supports calls this week from the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) to increase the amount of available data that can be used to clamp down on car cloning. Cloning is the vehicle equivalent of identity fraud where the stolen vehicle is illegally disguised as a similar vehicle already on the road. HPI already plays an active role in working with the police to help solve vehicle crime, and is the only vehicle provenance check provider to include a guarantee that covers buying a clone, safeguarding consumers and the motor trade against fraudulent activity.

HPI is joining forces with ACPO and the Association of Chief Police Officers Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (AVCIS), to see what more can be done to prevent cloning. Alan Bishop, Industry Relations Director of HPI explains: “Together, we are always reviewing ways we can work with VOSA and the DVLA to see how we can share information to prevent vehicle fraud and stem the growth of cloned vehicles.”

HPI has access to an unrivalled level of information from a range of sources including the NPIA (National Policing Improvements Agency), DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency), DVA (Driver and Vehicle Agency Northern Ireland), Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), finance companies, the Association of British Insurers (ABI), local government and the motor trade. HPI’s National Mileage Register holds more than 125 million mileage readings on making it the most comprehensive mileage database in the UK.

Continues Alan Bishop: “We already hold and utilise a wealth of information to responsibly help used car buyers make an informed decision. The more information we have to assist in the verification process, the greater power we have to combat cloners.

“Despite ongoing warnings of the threat of car cloning, buyers are more at risk from used car criminals than ever before. Crooks are using new, sophisticated methods to clone vehicles and swindle the unsuspecting out of their cash. With this in mind, it is essential that HPI continues to work with the police and the motor trade, to help the government create a system that pulls together data intelligence and squeezes out fraudsters and protects consumers.”