Car Ringing

As if car theft wasn’t bad enough, there is another step that criminals can take in causing chaos in the lives of motorists; by allowing ‘cloned’ cars to be sold to unwitting buyers. At Stormcatcher Law, we can provide invaluable advice if you find that you have bought a car that has previously been stolen and has now been passed off as another, legitimate car. This is called car ringing; we’re here to help if you have been caught out. 

The number one firm for automotive and car fraud with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the methods, tell tale signs and tricks of the trade, we have extensive expertise in dealing with new and used car crime and a unique insight into stolen car fraud, missing car fraud and car identity fraud.

Simply, we know the rules, the scams and the tricks of the trade inside out, resulting in regular instructions to act in complex and high value claims in the UK and internationally.

If you’ve bought a stolen car or a car with a hidden identity, call Stormcatcher Law for first free advice.

Car Ringing Explained

A ‘ringer’ or a ‘flipper’ is a stolen car that has had its identification numbers replaced with those obtained from another legitimate car, which is almost always an insurance write off.

Rarely will you buy a ringer from the criminal gang that created it, for obvious reasons and sales are usually via a third party.

However, more and more ringers are filtering into the mainstream retail motor trade where they are sold under a finance or HP agreement.

If you’ve bought a stolen car or a ringer and don’t know what to do, call The Car Lawyer for first free advice.

How is car ringing done?

Knowing how car ringing happens is key to being on the lookout for cars it’s happened, so you can avoid buying one. A ‘ringer’ or a ‘flipper car’ is a stolen car that has had its identification numbers replaced with those obtained from another legitimate car, which is almost always an insurance write off.

All the car ringing gang needs is a similar car to which the identity of the damaged car is transplanted.

Depending on the type of car, thieves may target cars in the UK or abroad, transporting it to a workshop having first disabled any tracking devices. Panels containing the Vehicle identity are then installed into the stolen car.

Rarely will you buy a ringer from the criminal gang that created it, for obvious reasons; sales are usually via a third party. More and more ringers are filtering into the mainstream retail motor trade where they are sold under a finance or HP agreement. 

If the damaged car originates from the UK, it will be supplied with the V5C documents and service history. If it doesn’t, it will be supplied with the equivalent and the certificate of conformity with which it can be registered in the UK, resulting in the stolen car having the appearance and documentation of the damaged vehicle, without any record of the damage, and which can be sold.

If you’ve bought a stolen car or a ringer and don’t know what to do, call Stormcatcher Law for free advice.

A ‘Write Off’

Ordinarily insurance companies are involved when a car sustains significant accident or collision damage, resulting in the vehicle being categorised as a write off and graded as category ‘cat’ A, B, S (formerly Category C) or Category N (formerly Category D).

Cat A vehicles are so badly damaged that they are required to be destroyed. Cat B vehicles are so badly damaged that the body shell is required to be destroyed so that the car cannot be repaired and out back on the road but unlike Cat A, the parts can be salvaged and sold.

However, a vehicle will escape categorisation if it is uninsured, or a claim has not been made to an insurance company or the vehicle originates from outside the UK.

There are also occasions where an insurer will neglect to register a write off with HPI.

If the car originates from outside the UK, it may well have been an insurance write off, but the country of origin does not operate a similar categorisation as the ABI (Association of British Insurers) allowing a car which would be crushed in the UK, to be sold.

Identity

In cases where a heavily damaged car is allowed to be sold, especially if the car is a luxury car or supercar like a Lamborghini, Ferrari or Porsche for example, the buyer will either be motivated by obtaining rare or valuable parts or simply to obtain the identity of the vehicle.

The Vehicle Identification Number (“VIN”) is stamped or printed onto tags located in various places around the car, commonly on the dashboard appearing near the bottom of the windscreen, in the door shut, on the suspension turret and slam panel etc.

In reality there many places a vehicle identity is recorded but cannot be seen by carrying out a cursory inspection.

Stolen cars

All the car ringing gang needs is a similar car to which the identity of the damaged car is transplanted.

Depending on the type of car, thieves may target cars in UK or abroad, transporting it to a workshop having first disabled any tracking devices. Panels containing the Vehicle identity are then installed into the stolen car.

Left hand drive cars

Cars that originate from outside the UK will almost always be left hand drive. While there is nothing inherently wrong with left hand drive cars, it is difficult to trace the history and provenance. This is made more difficult as the UK does not have access to the Schengen database on which EU countries record stolen vehicles. Similarly, the UK has no agreement with non-EU countries for the exchange of information to assist the prevention of crime.

Registration

If the damaged car originates from the UK, it will be supplied with the V5C documents, service history and documents. If it doesn’t, it will be supplied with the equivalent and the certificate of conformity with which it can be registered in the UK, resulting in the stolen car having the appearance and documentation of the damaged vehicle, without any record of the damage, and which can be sold.

How common is car ringing?

As serious as car ringing is as an offence, it’s not currently as common as simply the theft of the car. The theft of a vehicle is unfortunately a regular occurrence around the UK, but many thieves don’t go to the trouble of making the stolen car look like a legitimate one. However, it is a crime on the rise. 

Our car ringing lawyers

Stormcatcher Law is proudly led by Philip Harmer, a lawyer and arbitrator with a whole lot of knowledge of the automotive industry. This means he’s seen his fair share of the fallout that car crime causes, giving him the insight and expertise required to advise those who find themselves with ‘ringer’ cars. With a straight-talking approach and an impressive track record of positive outcomes, you can remain confident that he and his team can lead you to the stress-free conclusion you deserve. 

Why choose Stormcatcher Law

Put simply, Stormcatcher is the number one firm for tackling automotive and car fraud, with an encyclopedic knowledge of known criminal methods, tell-tale signs to look out for, and tricks of the trade. We have extensive expertise in dealing with new and used car crime, and a unique insight into stolen car fraud, missing car fraud and car identity fraud.

Stormcatcher knows the rules, the scams, and the tricks of the trade inside out. We regularly act in complex and high value claims both in the UK, and internationally.

If you’ve bought a stolen car or a car with a hidden identity, call Stormcatcher Law for first free advice.