A person unknowingly purchased a cloned Kia EV6 on Fb Market and is now caught paying £236 month-to-month for a automobile he not has.
Automotive-cloning may be so simple as stealing quantity plates (Picture: JamPress)
A person has been left dealing with month-to-month funds of £236 for completely nothing after unwittingly buying a “cloned” automobile by Fb Market. Sevak Maljian, from Cardiff, had wished to personal a Kia EV6 for years and searched extensively for essentially the most aggressive deal.
He stumbled upon what seemed to be a legit itemizing on Fb Market, promoting the 2022 mannequin for £17,000. As this exceeded Sevak’s price range, he enquired whether or not any discount may very well be negotiated, explaining it will serve work-related functions. The seller agreed to decrease the worth to £13,500 on situation of money cost.
Every part proceeded with out incident till the physiotherapist found a malfunctioning button on the important thing fob, prompting him to go to his native Kia dealership for examination. It was at this level that he learnt his automobile had been “cloned” and all of the documentation offered truly associated to a special automotive.
Automotive cloning is a sort of auto fraud the place criminals copy the registration quantity plates of a legally registered automotive and place them on a stolen or similar-looking automobile. This makes the cloned automotive seem legit, typically permitting offenders to keep away from detection for crimes corresponding to dashing fines, congestion expenses or different offences within the UK.
“I really feel unprotected that such a factor has occurred,” the 36-year-old stated. “It is not my fault, but I am coping with the repercussions. I did not commit any crime I merely purchased a second-hand automotive with out figuring out it was stolen, and had no thought what havoc it will deliver to my life.”
Sevak had beforehand consulted platforms together with Autotrader and varied native dealerships earlier than selecting this particular automobile.
In October 2025, he journeyed to London by prepare to gather the automotive, arranging to satisfy the seller exterior Putney prepare station. He purchased automotive insurance coverage after which drove to the handle listed on the V5C logbook, which was accompanied by watermarks and an identical ID.
Sevak verified the VIN quantity talked about within the logbook with that on the entrance windscreen and likewise paid £8 to test the variety of earlier house owners, the mileage and the automotive’s historical past. He asserts every part appeared “legit”.
Nevertheless, when he took the automotive to Kia, they instantly seen the important thing had been counterfeited and that the VIN quantity on the chassis did not correspond with the one on the windscreen or door.
Sevak Maljian had dreamed of proudly owning a Kia EV6 for years (Picture: Jam Press)
Sevak expressed: “They have been shocked as to how I used to be in a position to entry the automotive. It was such a gut-churning second. All that pleasure had gone. I did every part I might and it wasn’t sufficient.”
After reporting the incident to the police, the automobile was seized and found to have been stolen in Kent.
He additionally lodged a case with Report Fraud, although on December 9, 2025, the choice was made to not allocate this for additional investigation as a consequence of ‘inadequate viable traces of enquiry’. Sevak has been left paying £236 month-to-month for the mortgage he took out, with nothing to indicate for it.
He added: “I am having to promote my present automotive to assist repay among the mortgage. Even then, I am going to nonetheless be in debt. I did not have to have this hanging over my head. It is such a drastic change to my life.
“I am having to recalculate my funds and put my home renovation on maintain, which I had solely lastly began after years of ready. I do not know what to do anymore.”
A DVLA spokesperson commented: “We perceive how distressing automobile crime may be. To assist scale back the danger of fraud, we encourage consumers to observe the steering on GOV.UK corresponding to checking VIN particulars and confirming the vendor’s identification. Anybody who believes they might have been a sufferer of fraud ought to contact the police immediately.”
When he took the automotive to Kia, they immediately realised the important thing had been solid (Picture: Jam Press)
A consultant for Kia expressed: “We’re saddened to listen to about this buyer’s expertise, and we prolong our sympathy to them.
“They’ve been in direct contact with our buyer contact centre and we’ve got suggested them to proceed liaising with the police, their insurance coverage supplier and the DVLA, as they’re finest positioned to assist the shopper on this state of affairs.”
A Report Fraud spokesperson confirmed: “Report Fraud can verify that it acquired NFRC251007683380 on 13 October 2025. It was assessed by the Report Fraud Evaluation Service on the Metropolis of London Police however has not been handed to a police drive for investigation presently.
“Over 850,000 studies are made yearly. These studies are assessed in opposition to a number of standards, sadly not each case will likely be despatched to legislation enforcement for investigative alternatives.
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“There are alternative ways a report may be handled when it is not handed to a police drive. These embody the Report Fraud Sufferer Providers supporting victims of cyber crime and fraud with specialist recommendation and serving to victims to recuperate losses.”
“Each report helps the police develop an correct intelligence image and take disruptive exercise like working to take down web sites, phone numbers and e mail addresses linked to fraud, stopping others from changing into victims.”
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