John Keane (not his real name) bought a two-year-old top of the range Mercedes through a friend of a friend. He only found out the car was not genuine when the gardaí called to tell him they were taking his car away for forensic tests on suspicion it may have been a stolen. Ian Noctor reports.
"I never suspected a thing. The guy I bought the car from had the car's logbook, the key was the original, the chassis number and VIN plate all matched the documentation, and while the price I paid was good, I didn't get the car for nothing."
At the end of the day he is nearly €40,000 out of pocket, and says : "I am pursuing my claim through the courts, but it's going to take me years and at the end of the day I still may only get a fraction of the money back."
Insp Brian Sherry, who led last week's operation in Blanchardstown in Dublin says: "It's unfortunate, but if we identify a stolen car, as far as we're concerned it belongs to the man or woman from whom it was originally taken."
If you are buying a second-hand car he advises that, above all, you get in contact with the previous owner: "They can tell you immediately if the car was crashed or damaged. Their name will be on the vehicle registration document. Look up their number and call them.
"Satisfy yourself the person you're buying the car from is legitimate. If they are reluctant to show you the car's documents or to produce personal identification just walk away. If you can't contact the previous owner or can't fully satisfy yourself the car is legitimate, walk away.
"Apart from your house your car is probably the second most expensive purchase of your life, so if in doubt, just walk away."
In Britain the authorities have clamped down on ringing. Laws have been introduced to close the loophole and make it far more difficult to clone the identity of a crashed car on to a stolen one.
All repaired or scrapped vehicles must now be vetted at the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) test centres and so prevent a crashed car being used to shroud a car's identity.
The DVLA has introduced new rules which mean that anyone who needs a tax disc must produce their logbook, with their documents, at the local post office. If they don't have one, their car will not be licensed.
John Keane has appealed to the authorities and the insurance companies here to follow suit: "I don't care whether it's a voluntary practice by the insurance companies to take written off cars out of the system, or whether the government brings in laws like in England.
"Either way they have a responsibility to make sure more people don't find themselves in the same situation as me."