Most secondhand imported vehicles odometers have been tampered with when compared against its irrespective declared cancellation certificate mileage. This was revealed after a thorough investigation conducted by the Fiji Revenue and Customs Authority (FRCA) in Nadi, Lautoka and Suva “We are clear that the odometers have been tampered with and consumers need to keep a look out,” said FRCA chief executive Jitoko Tikolevu. “The odometer readings have been reduced significantly to encourage consumers to buy the vehicles and we found that there is a big gap from the country of origin of the vehicle compared to the readings being showed here,” he said. He said odometer fraud is a serious threat to car buyers because they may be burdened with having to pay extra cash for the vehicle, additional insurance costs, additional maintenance costs and the vehicle safety. “When buying vehicles consumers need to ensure they demand for a cancellation certificate from dealers to verify the readings on the odometer.” He also confirmed that FIRCA is working closely with the Land Transport Authority in providing superior services to the public. By Mereani Gonedua Orignal Article: http://www.fijilive.com/news/2013/04/odometer-fraud-worries-frca/53544.Fijilive
A veteran Winnipeg police officer was allegedly running an international luxury-vehicle scam that duped several victims, including a prominent city defence lawyer, out of thousands of dollars. Justice sources and court documents reveal extensive details of the case, which came to light last year and only became public this week. The police have released limited information other than confirming Sgt. Richard Sierhuis is facing numerous fraud-related charges. Sierhuis, 47, once worked with the Winnipeg Police Service’s professional standards unit, the department that began investigating his conduct last fall and authorized his arrest in late March.
Following an investigation into a coach company operating as Ausden Clark Ltd, based at Dysart Way in Leicester (UK), it was revealed that maintenance records had apparently been falsified and then signed as accurate by the company director, Mr. Paul Ausden Clark. Mr. Clark was arrested with the assistance of local police officers on Tuesday the 10th of July 2012. The VOSA led investigation centred upon examining the veracity of the information contained in the periodic maintenance inspection (PMI) records required to be kept for inspection by enforcement officers with the authority to carry out such inspections. It was found that the odometer readings recorded on the PMI sheets did not correspond with the odometer readings recorded on the tachograph records and fuel log sheets bearing the same date as that on the PMI sheet. Mr. Paul Ausden Clark who appeared at Leicester Crown Court on Thursday 20 September entered a plea of guilty to 10 counts of making a false instrument with intent that it be accepted as genuine, contrary to Sections 1 and 6 of the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act, 1981. In addition to this, he asked for 64 similar counts to be taken into consideration (making 74…
A used-van dealer wound millions of miles off odometers and illegally made over £100,000 (Approximately $ 200,000U.S. Dollars) in just 10 months, according to Trading Standards Agency (TSA) officers. Maxwell Stuart Alvey, 50, from Gedling Road in Arnold, Notts, pleaded guilty to 10 separate charges of fraud and is now awaiting sentence at Nottingham Crown Court. His then-partner Jane Louise Starbrook was cleared of any involvement in the case at an earlier hearing. TSA officers launched an investigation into Alvey’s business after receiving several complaints regarding unusual wear and tear on vehicles with relatively low mileages. In the worst example seen by the court, Alvey took almost 300,000 miles off the odometer of a Mercedes van. Clocking is one of the most widespread illegal practices found in the used car industry. The fraudulent practice involves using computers or mechanical tools to physically wind back the number of miles displayed on a cars odometer, allowing the dealer to sell the vehicle for a higher price than would otherwise be possible. Buyers of used cars are reminded that careful checking of a vehicle before purchase is a vital precaution, as doing so can allow buyers to avoid cars that are likely to…
USED car buyers have been warned to beware of shonky sellers winding back odometers, with a report revealing tens of thousands of used cars have been “clocked”. The illegal practice is most common in South Australia, Tasmania and Queensland where one in 100 vehicles has been tampered with, according to consumer vehicle research site carhistory.com.au The site found that in the year to March, just under 1 per cent of used cars it checked had odometers wound back which, if representative of the national used car market, meant tens of thousands of vehicles were being sold under false pretences. Carhistory boss David Scognamiglio said the report indicated that every state had groups of shonky sellers who had evaded detection and prosecution for misrepresenting odometer readings. “Many sellers fail to provide statutory warranties and falsify log books and other documents to car buyers,” he said. “No one wants to buy a car to find out in the next few months that they’ve been ripped off, the warranty is void or they are having issues due to the vehicle’s extensive use.” Individual offenders face up to two years in jail and fines of $40,000 to $60,000, depending on the state, while organisations…
A growing number of vehicles are being handed back at the end of a contract hire or personal contract purchase (PCP) agreement having been clocked. Fleets and individuals eager to avoid excess mileage charges are turning to mileage correction companies to clock the vehicle before they return it. And the problem is causing so much concern within the industry that the Vehicle Remarketing Association (VRA) is calling for companies that undertake the procedure to be better regulated. A string of businesses advertise their services online from £50 and, while problems with an odometer may require the use of their services legitimately, many companies are turning to them to avoid end-of-contract charges. Used car history expert HPI says it has seen the number of used cars showing an ‘inconsistent mileage’ increase by more than 10% since 2007. It identified more than one million clocked cars in 2011 – one in every 20 it checked.