Be very careful when buying used cars because you could run into the “mileage” car scam. These are cars that are sold at higher prices than their real value as they do not have the kilometers indicated but would have many more. This is a big problem for consumers who fall for the scam. In this regard, the Automobilista portal, or the website of the Ministry of Infrastructure, has made some correctionshere’s what they are and how not to fall for the scam.
The scam
The Automobilista portal allows you to view the kilometers that have been traveled by a used car. Until recently there were different car fraud which had more kilometers than declared. In fact, those who wanted to deceive consumers could exploit a “bug” in the portal that allowed the car’s mileage to be calculated by considering the last license plate used. The bad guys replaced the license plate on the car to be sold, proceeded with the mandatory periodic inspection, and the real mileage was no longer indicated on the site. The website did not display past MOTs and their mileage. The interested party who viewed the data online did not have the possibility of obtaining the real information and so he paid much more for the car than its actual value.
The changes
In order not to fall into the scam and therefore not access the portal, it was necessary to contact the Public Vehicle Registry (Pra) by paying for the certificate and undergoing longer procedures. The issue has been raised several times and so the ministry has carried out some changes to solve it. Today the history of a car is also composed considering the frame number which is associated with all the license plates had by the vehicle. The crafty people will therefore no longer be able to change the plaque and defraud consumers. An example is the case reported by Strip the News where a car at the 2020 inspection had more kilometers than in 2023.
The buying and selling of used goods
Regarding the issue, Diego Brambilla, national representative of the FederIspettori union, told Four wheels: “It took seven years. A good step forward towards transparency regarding second-hand sales reviews”. Brambilla then commented: “Indeed, in the first available system, the mileage of the inspection replaced the previous one: the scammers carried out inspections long before the deadline. Paradoxically, a site theoretically in favor of consumers was transformed into a tool in favor of the ‘crafty’ of rejuvenated second-hand goods”.
2024-02-13 21:54:00
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