Following a report by BBC Radio, HPI has warned the motor trade that action will be taken against ‘HPI check’ imposters.

The report highlighted an unsuspecting car buyer who bought a car that he later discovered had a ‘logbook loan’ against it; the buyer had tried to do the right thing, by conducting what he thought was a HPI Check he’d sourced online.

However, reveals HPI, the vehicle history check he invested in was not a HPI check and in turn he was not covered by the HPI guarantee, leaving him financially out of pocket.

Managing Director for HPI Neil Hodson said: “Sadly, after conducting a second rate history-check and paying £1,000 for the vehicle, the new owner discovered he was about to lose the car and his cash.

“Unfortunately, there are those within the motor trade that look to illegitimately benefit from the power of the HPI brand, and do so without any concern for the unsuspecting buyers they are duping.

“We’ve been protecting the used-car market from the threat of used-car fraud for over 75 years but the internet has opened the door to greater opportunity for fraudsters.

“We will take action against those in the industry that claim to offer HPI checks to their customers, which in reality offer a very different level of service that does not reflect the depth of data we draw upon, or which fails to provide financial peace of mind in the event of data being inaccurate or incomplete.

“We will do our utmost to protect consumers and traders from falling foul of these fraudsters and will put a stop to their activities”.

HPI has access to the most comprehensive vehicle information databases available today, including those operated by the police, the DVLA, insurance companies, finance houses, industry bodies and garages.

The BBC published the following apology: “During a report on the risks of acquiring undischarged debts when buying a second hand vehicle we carried a reference to ‘HPI checks’, services offered commercially to provide buyers with information about loans or other historic details related to a vehicle. A purchaser stated that a check he had paid for failed to reveal an existing debt which he acquired when he bought a car second hand. HPI Ltd has asked us to point out that it did not conduct a history check on the car in question, which was provided by another company at a lower fee than it charges (£3). We apologise for any confusion which may have resulted from this report”.