Posting a picture of your car’s log book online when selling it second-hand could put you at risk from scammers stealing your identity, DVLA warns.
It is a requirement that to sell a car, it must come complete with a log book – or V5C document – which contains all the vehicle’s statistics as well as ownership details.
When people are listing their vehicle on sites like Autotrader, it’s surprisingly common for people to share an image of the log book. However, few realise how easy it is for scammers to steal their identity from the document, which then leads to gaining access to the person’s bank accounts, or even forging fake number plates and ownership of another person’s car from the information in the photo.
The DVLA states that drivers shouldn’t “share photos of their V5C log book on social media or selling sites, as scammers can use them for identity theft.”
One driver fell victim to a scammer who invited a potential buyer for his car to his house, who then ended up taking his V5C details and using them to commit fraud.
One motorist on MoneySavingExpert said: “I listed my car on Autotrader just over a week ago, the first interested buyer that came to look at the car has somehow taken the reference number from the v5 and registered my car in a new name and address.
“I must admit, the man seemed nice and polite but I have been well and truly scammed.”
Anyone who is the victim of a scam or aware of suspicious behaviour should inform Action Fraud and the DVLA.
