My son got a letter from the DVLA saying that someone has applied to transfer ownership/keepership of his car.

DVLA are asking him if it’s a valid request.

My son has not sold his car and is in possession of the V5C document.

Any ideas as to what sort of scam is in progress?

Phone the DVLA using a number sourced from the .gov website and not from the letter (unless they match) and ask them. The DVLA are approachable. It may just be a typo or maybe just a case of saying it is not being transferred. Let the dvla sort it out from there.

I’m sure I’ve read about some scams where people manage, somehow, to get hold of a set of duplicate documents for a vehicle, then sell it online, and scarper with the money.
Not 100% certain how this works in meatspace world, but I thought I’d seen something like it.
Certainly a call to the DVLA should be first priority.

Good shout to google the number though, don’t take the one from the letter!

Anyone can apply to register as the keeper of the vehicle, all your son has to do is decline the request.
Is the car worth nicking? Is the car registered at your son’s address? Is your son on holiday?
Could just be a typo on the reg.

Do log book loans still exist?

Didn’t some guy get done for this recently for trying it with a Sheiks Rolls Phantom?
Yep.
Rolls scam

Happened to a guy I used to work with. He didn’t open the letter after the car was nicked, when he was abroad for 2 months. Insurance weren’t really interested as it looked like he’d sold it. He was a right bellend though.

Letter seems genuine as numbers tally. He phoned and is awaiting a return call.

Car is a 2010 Fiat Bravo 150 T-Jet. Quite rare so I suppose someone might want to steal it! Bit of niche market though!

Nice that he still comes to his dad for advice 🙂

Ring DVLA ASAP & tell them its not been sold – mate of mine had this a few years back, ended up that a car, same make & colour as his had been stolen & the thief had false plates made up & fitted to the stolen car to sell it as legit (wouldn’t show up on HPI as stolen)
Also he might start getting speeding/parking tickets if his number has been cloned.

Mine got cloned once. The cloned car racked up £1000s in speeding and parking fines in a very short time period. Once I reported all this, the DVLA were very good at sorting it immediately.

sounds like somebodys going to be at the wrong end of a conversation with dvla.. just respond by saying car not sold i hold v5c. dvla might send a contractor round to physically check v5 and car. the person applying will have either cloned it and be trying to get the reg or a ‘new owner’ applying for the v5 as sold without.

had a classic car once that was rarely used but had a visit from plod after someone else was stopped driving a similar car with the same reg no. long story short she had seen the car at a show liked the reg number and simply copied it.. go figure..

All is well, seems to have been a typo by the applicant 😀