Drivers who purchased cars imported to Russia under “gray” imports faced a sudden cancellation of the electronic vehicle passport (EPTS). This is due to several fraud schemes, which Maxim Shelkov, head of the Autocriminalist expert center, told socialbites.ca.
According to the interlocutor, the owner of the Kia Stinger liftback approached him with such a problem. He bought the car in Moscow in September 2024; A month before the recycling rate increased in Russia. A fake vehicle design safety certificate (VSSC) was submitted to customs for his vehicle.
“Russian for 4.7 million rubles. bought a 2020 Kia Stinger car – transported via “gray” import via Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. The buyer took all the documents and registered the car with the traffic police, but after a while he learned that his EPTS was canceled. Customs said so
Incorrect information was given about the vehicle (smaller engine declared)
and therefore the recycling fee is calculated incorrectly. Instead of the required 970 thousand rubles, the buyer gave a much smaller amount,” said Shelkov.
According to Shelkov, state institutions and organizations involved in the publication of EPTS did not check the authenticity of the document. The law requires a person to present genuine documents a priori, and this is the responsibility of the declarant. Now the owner of the Kia Stinger is trying to pay the recycling fee at the old rates.
Who are the scammers
Most often, such frauds are committed by unscrupulous market players who import cars to order and customs brokers who often use a double enrichment scheme.
For example, they can provide services for registering a car, charge for it, and then underestimate the cost of the car in order to receive the monetary difference at customs,” Shelkov warned.
According to the expert, such fraudulent schemes arise due to lack of control at every stage of buying and registering a car.
“If we take as a basis the model of 15 years ago, when everything was stable, the registration of a car from abroad was in the same hands.
Previously, this work was done by customs, where specialized organizations worked. The expert will find out the technical specifications of the cars, engine dimensions, production date, etc. “They determined,” he said.
Shelkov added that now the process of clearing cars from customs is divided into multiple stages involving independent organizations. It has become much easier to carry out a fraudulent scheme, but documents are no longer properly checked. The expert explained that ultimately the last buyer who keeps the car will suffer losses.
Anton Shaparin, Vice President of the National Automobile Association (NAU), shares a similar point of view: He says that different structures and departments are responsible only for their own problems, and the questions of other departments are none of their business.
“For example, the traffic police are not interested in when and by whom the SBCTS was issued.
They also generally don’t care what’s written inside; so all kinds of different things are written in SBCTS. Rosstandart is supposed to check this document, but it does not. The exception to this is emergencies,” Shaparin said.
According to the deputy head of NAS, thousands of cars were brought to Russia as part of fraudulent schemes with SBCTS. As a rule, owners of vehicles with an engine capacity of more than 3.5 liters become victims of such scams, as they can get the largest amount during customs clearance.
Shaparin warned, “Thousands of citizens who will be victimized as a result of such fraud schemes are waiting for us.”
How to be safe?
Autocriminalist Maxim Shelkov believes that complete protection from such situations is possible only if the buyer controls the entire transaction chain from beginning to end: from the moment of purchase outside the Russian Federation to recording the disposal fee. Automotive lawyer Lev Voropaev reminds that if you carefully monitor the flow of documents, your chances of becoming a victim of fraudsters are reduced.
“For imported cars, all documents submitted to the customs administration must be requested. Including those relating to payment of all customs duties and fees. Often the car does not have documents, so it is better to refuse such a purchase.
In the extract from EPTS you need to look at the last line, which should indicate that the car is exempt from customs duties. This means that the ministry has no claims regarding the car,” the lawyer stated.
socialbites.ca contacted Electronic Passport JSC with a request to specify the exact reasons for the cancellation of EPTS at the time of publication;
What are you thinking?
Source: Gazeta
Anika Rood is an author at “Social Bites”. She is an automobile enthusiast who writes about the latest developments and news in the automobile industry. With a deep understanding of the latest technologies and a passion for writing, Anika provides insightful and engaging articles that keep her readers informed and up-to-date on the latest happenings in the world of automobiles.