Cloned cars present a growing risk for genuine buyers

GENUINE car-buyers are being duped by "cloned" cars offered for sale – and losing not only their money as a result, but the car itself.

Criminals clone cars by using stolen vehicle documents to change the identity of a stolen vehicle to match that of a legitimate one.

As many as 1,300 cloned vehicles, worth more than 13 million, have been recovered since 2006, according to the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo).

But it is thought that the cloned-vehicle problem could be far greater than this, as more than 100,000 stolen registrat- ion documents are still in cir- culation.

Paul Boddington, founder of CarEnquiry.co.uk, said: "Buyers are at greater risk from cloned cars than ever before and it's clear those cars recovered are just the tip of the iceberg.

"Today, it really is 'buyer beware', with established dealers the best way to stay safe."

AA president Edmund King said: "Car-buying is fraught with pitfalls, from rogue traders to car cloning and forged documents. It pays to shop with your head, not your heart, and deal only with accredited dealers who can deliver genuine cars."