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People shopping around for used cars for sale have been urged to be aware of vehicles potentially being 'cloned'.
According to vehicle information service HPI, vehicle cloning is a process by which the number plates and identification numbers of one car are switched for those of a similar vehicle.
The organisation, which has put together a top ten list of the most cloned vehicles, warned those undertaking a Used Car Search that what they think may be a good deal could turn out to be a clone.
In 2007-08, the most cloned car was the MERCEDES C Class, followed by the FORD Transit van and the AUDI A4.
Commenting on the trend, Nick Lindsay, director of HPI, said: "Criminals are opportunists and will exploit any weakness, whether it's in a vehicle's security system or its identity."
HPI advised those buying used cars to check their identification and registration numbers, compare sale price with market value and to avoid paying with cash.
Established in 1938, HPI claims to be able to access more vehicle data than any other organisation.
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