Caravan Scams

Whether you’re looking to buy or sell a caravan, don’t fall foul of pesky fraudsters. Here’s our roundup of some frequent caravan scams.

Scams when selling a caravan

• You receive either an email or phone call from someone saying they’re from a finance company. They claim that they have potential buyers who have already been cleared for credit on the caravan and are ready to buythe caravan. They then go on to say that they can put you in touch with this buyer but only at a cost which is payable immediately. This is usually around £70-80. Needless to say that these buyers don’t exist and in giving your card details, the scammers can then use your information at a later date for fraudulent purchases.

• You receive an email from the fraudster claiming to be someone interested in buying your caravan. They agree to buy the caravan and ask for a home address they can send a cheque to. They will also tell you that they are planning to ship the caravan abroad and that the shipping company will collect the caravan. You receive a cheque which is an amount significantly more than the price which was agreed. Following this, the ‘buyer’ will send an email apologising for the cheque mistake, explaining that the amount included payment for the shipping company. They ask you to bank the cheque anyway, but electronically transfer the amount meant for the shipping company. Having transferred the money, their cheque doesn’t clear and you are out of pocket. The lesson here is that you should never release any money or your caravan until any payments have cleared into your bank account.

Scams when buying a caravan

• You are looking to buy a caravan and browsing internet adverts. You settle upon an ad that you like the look of at an absolutely amazing price. You don’t want to miss out on this great deal and contact the seller who tells you that they have already had a lot of interest and a number of viewings arranged. They tell you that if you are willing to pay a deposit over the phone by credit/debit card, they will reserve the caravan for you. Little do you know that the caravan you want to buy does not exist, and the advert you’ve seen is just photos from an old advert. Not only do you lose the deposit you’ve paid over the phone, but your details can then be used on bigger fraudulent purchases.
• You see an online advert for an amazing deal on a caravan you just can’t miss out on. When you contact the seller, they advise that they are away on holiday/business at the moment, but you can still purchase the caravan using the website you’ve seen the advert on as an intermediary. You will then receive and invoice, claiming to be from the website and you will be told that your payment will be held by them until you’ve viewed the caravan when the seller returns from their trip. Upon receiving the invoice, you make payment – unknowingly sending your money directly to fraudster for a caravan that doesn’t exist. Caravan advert websites don’t offer this ‘holding’ service and the bank details on the invoice are for the fraudster who will now disappear with your money.
• After browsing online, you come across an amazing deal and contact the seller of the caravan for more information. You arrange a viewing but the seller wants to make sure that you are serious about making the purchase, and to prove your ability to pay ask you to transfer the funds to a friend or family member via Moneygram then send them the receipt as proof. In sending the receipt, you will be sending the fraudster all the information they need to get hold of that money.
• You find an amazing, not to be missed deal for a caravan on eBay and get in touch with the seller for more information. Given that you can absolutely not miss out on this caravan you agree a price and the seller says that they will deliver the caravan to you after you have made payment to them via PayPal. When you’ve made payment, they will immediately withdraw the money and you will never hear from them again.
Whilst eBay and PayPal have increased their security and instances like these are less frequent, there are still many highly skilled fraudsters who will have no problem in getting past security and identity checks.
The lesson behind all of these scams is that if an offer sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Always buy from a reputable source, and never pay for anything upfront.
Many thanks to Josh Garrod for initially highlighting these scams on . More info can be found here 

Protect your Caravan with CRiS

CRiS (the Central Registration and Identification Scheme) is the National Register for caravan owners in the UK working towards preventing and detecting caravan related crime.

Established in 1992 by the The National Caravan Council, CRiS provides registration documents similar to the DVLA for motor vehicles and maintains information relating to the history of the caravan.

A CRiS check will:

• show if a caravan has ever been written off by an insurance company,
• show if a caravan is subject to any outstanding finance,
• provide details of the current registered keeper, and detail how many owners there have been in the past,
• confirm the make, model and age of a caravan.

All new caravans will be given a unique 17 digit Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), which is recorded onto an electronic tag and embedded into the bodywork of the caravan, and etched onto the windows. It will also be recorded in the Touring Caravan Registration Document which is kept by the registered keeper of the caravan.

If you are buying a new caravan, the dealer will register the van and you will receive a CRiS certificate shortly after. If you already own, or are considering buying a caravan which was manufactured prior to 1992 when CRiS was established, and therefore does not have a VIN, you can apply for it to be CRiS registered.

If you are looking to buy a used caravan, the CRiS number is really useful in preventing you from purchasing a stolen caravan, or one which has finance outstanding on it. Simply call CRiS with the number which has been etched onto the windows (or stamped on the chassis), and for a small fee they will make sure that the number matches the caravan make and model on their register. It is also advisable to ask the seller for their CRiS registration documents.
Whilst it is highly recommended that you do carry out a full check, you can decode the CRiS number yourself.

Here’s a quick guide:

Say your CRiS number is SGET000EX9AVA5009: 

• The first two characters represent the country of manufacture. SG = United Kingdom
• Second character is the make of the caravan. E = Elddis
• Third character represents the number of axles. T = twin axel (s=single)
• The next three digits are for optional manufacturers data, like the caravan model.
• The eighth & ninth digits show the make of the caravan. EX = Explorer (known as Elddis)
• The tenth digit is the year of manufacture. 9 = 2009
• The final digits are the caravan’s serial number = AVA5009

Please note that the caravan build seasons runs from 1st September to 31st August. This means that a caravan which was built between 1st September 2010 and 31st August 2011 will have a manufacture year code as B for 2011.

For reference, here is complete list of VIN codes: 

Manufacturer codes:

AB = ABI 

AD = Adria 

AV = Avondale

BE = Bessacarr (later built by Swift so will use the SW code)

BU = Buccaneer (later built by Explorer Group so will have code EX)

BY = Bailey 

CL = Carlight 

CM = Coachman 

CP = Compass (could have EX code as were built by Explorer Group) 

CS = Cosalt (later Abbey’s were built by Swift and so will use SW code) 

CU = Sprite (later Sprite’s were built by Swift and so will use SW code) 

EL = Elddis (may carry the EX code, as Explorer Group re-branded to Elidds)

EX = Explorer Group (now known as Elddis) 

FL = Fleetwood 

LU = Lunar 

SW = Swift Group 

Build year codes:

N = 1992 P = 1993 R = 1994 S = 1995 T = 1996 V = 1997 W = 1998 X = 1999 Y = 2000 

1 = 2001 2 = 2002 3 = 2003 4 = 2004 5 = 2005 6 = 2006 7 = 2007 8 = 2008 9 = 2009 

A = 2010 B = 2011 C = 2012 D = 2013 E = 2014

If you’re struggling to decode your CRiS number, here’s a tool that will automatically do it for you:http://www.caravanvindecoder.com/

For more information about CRiS, visit https://www.cris.co.uk/secure

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