CAP Valuation Anywhere helps win fight against car finance fraud

A pioneering police intelligence service to tackle vehicle finance fraud is winning with the help of Valuation Anywhere, the used values SMS text message and web service from CAP.

In a unique partnership between the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the Finance & Leasing Association, the Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (AVCIS) has recovered almost £3 million of stolen or fraudulently-obtained vehicles since September 2007.

CAP has supported the AVCIS Vehicle Fraud Unit’s vital work from the beginning by providing benchmark used car values via the innovative Valuation Anywhere service.

This unique system enables officers to identify and value recovered vehicles instantly via mobile phone or web service, providing essential additional information to support investigations.

Valuation Anywhere was designed by CAP for car dealers and other automotive professionals, who use it to accurately and instantly value vehicles without the need to consult a bulky printed price guide.

Users receive mileage-adjusted, industry-recognised, benchmark used car or van values in seconds by simply sending the vehicle registration mark and mileagefrom their mobile phone. The system runs in tandem with a web application which offers additional pricing-related data when the user returns to their office.

It was CAP’s relationship with the Finance & Leasing Association - many of whose members rely on CAP used values to maximise profit and manage risk - which led to the adoption of Valuation Anywhere by AVCIS. By enabling AVCIS Vehicle Fraud Unit officers and other staff to value vehicles which have been recovered in anti-fraud operations, Valuation Anywhere is contributing to the remarkable success of the unit.

Detective Chief Inspector Lambotte, Head of AVCIS, said: “The provision of CAP information in partnership with the Finance & Leasing Association adds a valuable resource to our investigative teams, not only in measuring performance, but more importantly providing accurate data in respect of the value of assets which in turn supports investigations.

“We thank CAP and the FLA for their continued support, without which the process of tackling finance fraud would be extremely difficult. By removing access to vehicles obtained by fraud we are creating significant interference with the criminal enterprise within the UK and overseas. This supports our overall goal of removing the vehicle as a crime enabler by working with our partners to tackle crime”.

CAP Managing Director Rupert Keane said: “We are delighted that a best-of-breed solution developed by CAP to deliver commercial advantage to automotive professionals has found such a powerful application in the fight against vehicle crime. Vehicle finance fraud hurts us all and we applaud the innovative approach of AVCIS and the success it has achieved so far.”