Owning a car has become a necessity for most people these days. Some would purchase new vehicles for greater peace of mind; some would buy second-hand cars; others may be scammed into buying cloned vehicles.
Speaking of cloned vehicles, did you know that using cloned cars can put the drivers and passengers at risk?
Given that cloned cars are without insurance, you will have to bear the loss and damage cost.
What is a cloned car?
A cloned vehicle is any motor vehicle used on the road or a premise that resembles a legitimately-registered motor vehicle in terms of its type, make, model, and registration number. In other words, car cloning is a vehicle identity theft whereby a car is given a new identity to replicate another car.
Sinar Harian reported that from 2016 to March 2021, the Road Transport Department (JPJ) seized a total of 314 cloned vehicles. The director of Selangor’s JPJ, Nazli Md Taib said JPJ’s operations found that 95% of the cloned cars were smuggled in from Singapore. Nazli added that the republic (Singapore) set a vehicle age limit with cars exceeding 10 years old considered unsafe and unfit to be driven in the country.
“When that period ends, all of the vehicles have to be disposed of. What they (syndicate) do is either bring in the vehicles into the country (Malaysia) first before finding a buyer or find a buyer beforehand,” said Nazli.
What happens if you purchase a cloned car?
Any individual who owns a cloned car can face prosecution for possessing an unregistered vehicle. Owners of cloned cars can face prosecution under Section 7(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987, leading to a fine not exceeding RM2,000.
If an individual is guilty of displaying false registration number information, the individual can be charged under Section 103(3)(f) of the Road Transport Act 1987. The offense carries a fine of not less than RM5,000 and not exceeding RM20,000, or imprisonment of not less and not more than five years.
Apart from the above, owners of cloned cars will also suffer more losses than buying a second-hand or new car.
Ways to avoid being a victim of a cloned car syndicate
Buying a cloned car may have never come to your mind knowing the risks you may face. However, you may fall victim to buying a cloned car.
These are some ways to prevent you from falling victim to a cloned car syndicate:
- Check the market price of the vehicle that you want to buy. Compare prices of the model through various online platforms.
- Stop the dealing if the vehicle’s price is lower than the vehicle’s regular market price. For your information, prices of cloned cars are usually 50% lower than the market prices.
- Check the Vehicle Identification Number and ensure that the number listed in the document is the same as the number listed on your car. You can find the Vehicle Identification Number on the car’s bonnet, windscreen and driver’s seat.
- Avoid paying in cash. If you have bought a cloned car using cash money, it will be difficult for the police to investigate your case.
- Avoid paying an advance payment (deposit) in cash in large amounts.
- Check each document provided thoroughly. If there is any doubt about the vehicle status, bring it to a JPJ branch near you for review.
- Before buying the car, seek the seller’s confirmation on the vehicle registration number, manufature year and model.
- Buy a second-hand car from an authorised used car dealer online or at their outlet.
Be careful when buying a car
If you buy a new car, you are safe from the risk of getting a cloned car. On the other hand, if you decide to buy a used car, you may run the risk of getting a cloned car.
Therefore, please take precautions in making sure the car you would like to buy is not a cloned car. You may refer to our past article on tips for buying a second-hand car. Additionally, follow the above measures to avoid being a victim of a cloned car syndicate.
Take some time before buying a car. Please do not rush into buying one, and only buy a car when you are sure it is the best to own.
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