Massive fraud in used car market: falsified CoC documents, losses in tens of thousands of euros
Fraudsters are forging official vehicle documents and artificially reducing car ages. Losses on luxury vehicles reach tens of thousands of euros.
Falsified CoC documents change car identities, buyers lose thousands of euros
Google News SK — Crime (sk) is drawing attention to widespread fraud in the used car market, documented by Cebia, a company specialising in vehicle history verification. Its findings were reported by the TASR news agency portal.
Dishonest sellers are extensively misusing and forging the so-called CoC certificate — an official certificate of conformity issued directly by the car manufacturer and confirming its technical fitness. This document serves as a replacement for a standard technical certificate for vehicles lacking other equivalent official records.
Martin Pajer, director of Cebia, confirmed that manipulation of these certificates allows fraudsters to register a vehicle with altered data without major obstacles. The foreign origin of a car significantly complicates quick verification of actual history for the average buyer. Speculators are thus able to change a vehicle's identity before the new owner registers it in the domestic registry.
Luxury cars as the main target
The greatest risk threatens luxury vehicles with sales prices exceeding 100,000 euros. The base list price of these cars rose by more than 19,000 euros between 2022 and 2024, and optional equipment has also become noticeably more expensive. This development has opened up space for fraudsters to achieve exceptionally high profits.
If a seller uses a false CoC certificate to artificially shift a luxury car's age by just one or two years on paper, they can earn tens of thousands of euros extra on a single transaction. In addition to artificially reducing a vehicle's age, sellers routinely conceal serious accidents. Cebia recorded a case in which a seller concealed vehicle damage worth 64,000 euros — this was not minor damage but extensive harm.
Buyers confuse manufacturing date with registration date
Gaps in the knowledge of buyers themselves also work in fraudsters' favour. A survey showed that nearly 70 per cent of people do not distinguish between a vehicle's manufacturing date and its first registration date. Sellers deliberately exploit this ignorance: if a car left the production line towards the end of a year, they list the year of its subsequent first registration in the advertisement as the manufacturing year. The difference between actual manufacturing and first registration can represent more than two years.
How to protect yourself from fraud
Despite fraudsters' carefully planned tactics, buyers have effective protection tools at their disposal.
The key step is to verify vehicle history using the VIN identification number, even before signing any contract. Several independent registers and databases are available for this purpose — for example, the state Register of vehicle operating records or commercial systems for checking history. These tools reveal actual mileage, insurance event records, total damage and the original country of registration.
The manufacturing year can be verified directly with an authorised dealer of the relevant brand. It is sufficient to contact the official importer or authorised service and request a printout from the manufacturing database based on the VIN number. The service will precisely determine the day the car left the production line, its original equipment and the authenticity of the submitted CoC certificate.
Physical inspection of the vehicle by an independent specialist is also recommended. An experienced mechanic can use a paint thickness gauge to uncover hidden repairs following serious accidents, whilst diagnostics of control units will reveal inconsistencies in service history. If the seller refuses inspection at an independent service or prevents verification of documents, this is a clear warning sign — it is best to withdraw from such a transaction.
Contract as legal protection
Correct arrangement of the purchase contract also plays an important role. The contract terms must explicitly state the exact manufacturing year, confirmation that the vehicle was not salvaged, and the seller's declaration as to the authenticity of all submitted documents.
If it is later established that the seller deliberately concealed serious damage or forged documents, such a contract provides the buyer with a legal basis to withdraw from the contract and recover the full purchase price. According to Cebia, any administrative complications are generally worth the effort involved in cases involving losses of tens of thousands of euros.
Source: Google News SK — Crime (sk)