The police have recently seen an increase in the number of unscrupulous car buyers in Västerbotten and Jämtland. There are no compiled statistics on the number of cases.
– But the number of unreported cases is large and that is what it looks like throughout the country, says Per Rudberg, crime coordinator at the police in Västerbotten.
The rogue buyers contact private individuals and buy an old or decommissioned car for a few thousand bucks. But the buyer has no intention of keeping the vehicle.
– It happens that you say you start a change of ownership on the spot, but then it is not completed. Instead, you find the car in a forest area or in a field a few kilometers from the seller’s home, where they emptied the car of parts and fuel, says Per Rudberg.
He does not want to go into any details about which parts are being looted.
– Of course it varies from case to case, but I will not go into it. I do not want to give any tips about which car parts are worth what on the black market, says Per Rudberg.
Who is responsible for the thefts also differs.
– These are different people whose mode is to make a profit. Everything from individuals to larger groups – both Swedish and those who are resident abroad. But I do not want to call it leagues.
Sometimes the car wreck is dumped along a forest road or highway. But it is not impossible that it is the seller who finds his old car on his own plot. In accordance with the law, it is the landowner who must bear the cost of transporting the wreck away.
– There can be large costs. And if the change of ownership has not been completed, the old owner may also have to pay any parking fines that may have been imposed on him since the intended change of ownership.
In the best case, if the distance is short enough, a towing of a car can cost around SEK 2,000 plus VAT. But if the change of ownership has gone through to the new, unscrupulous owner, it can be even more complicated. Moving someone else’s car from their property and then scrapping it can cost up to 30 daily fines.
– You must not scrap someone else’s car. It is called arbitrary procedure and is punishable. It can be hell to get rid of the wreck in pure Swedish, says Per Rudberg.
A towing company like DN talked to have previously towed this type of car. But nowadays they never move cars without a valid ownership certificate – the problems with this kind of case are too many.
Now the police want to warn the public about the rogue buyers.
– You should follow your gut feeling. Many who are exposed to this say afterwards that they got a bad feeling already at the time of purchase. Listen to that feeling, says Per Rudberg who continues:
– If you are contacted to buy an older car, make sure that the change of ownership has gone through before the buyer takes the car with him, says Per Rudberg.
This is how you check if the change of ownership has gone through
If the buyer says that he sends the documents for the change of ownership to the Swedish Transport Agency, it may never happen.
● Instead, be sure to post the change of ownership paper yourself.
Even better is to make the change directly in the Swedish Transport Agency’s app.
● Then you see that the exchange has gone through and in addition, both parties must identify themselves with a bank ID, which makes it more secure.
Source: Police
Show more