Odd question from previous owner

[FredTransit]

I bought a luton for the body back in March. no T&T so towed it home, it's down the storage off road now. It won't see the road again. We have the V5, showing the correct change of ownership date, and a reciept. It had been off the road at least 7 years, so it was not on a SORN when we got it, and as it's scrap I have to say I haven't SORN'd it either. We have heard nothing in this time from the DVLA about tax. Today I had a message via ebay, from the seller, asking for the reg number. No explanation as to why. I am basically a suspecting person, and don't understand why, if you have sold a vehicle months ago, why you would need the reg number. The seller owned it for 9 years (so the V5 says) so I would have thought he would have had something with the reg on it. I picked it up from the address on the V5, and as we have the V5 in the company name I would have thought the DVLA would have sent out the 'thank you for letting us know' letter, which would have the reg on it. Anybody think of a legitimate reason he would suddenly want the reg? Obviously I could ask him why, but he could just tell me anything and I have a feeling something dodgy is going on.....

[Mr Lobster]

Can't think of a reason either tbh, could be a genuine reason but can't think of one. Sounds a bit fishy to me. As it's a message through ebay though you could probably ignore it.

[Albert Ross]

Ring Doovla, and tell them he's asking questions. Cover your arse that way first.

[M'coli]

Get it SORN'd before phoning them just as an arse-covering measure.

[FredTransit]

Well that did occur to me!

[Station]

Ask him why as you run a business and can't just go giving out details as such, on grounds of legal and business matters.

[FredTransit]

I am sure if it was some stick from the DVLA, he would have said. I would if I sold a van and got some kind of trouble from the DVLA. If it was anything else (like somebody else using the number, and getting parking tickets) we would have had the letters, not him, as we have the V5 in the company name.

[AXrescuer]

Just tell him that passing such info is against the Data Protection Act. Or, ask him to make the request in writing along with a legitimate reason that you can confirm is true.

[Pillock]

...and then charge him a 'reasonable fee' (usually £10-£15) as allowed for by the data protection act to cover the cost of retreiving and assembling the data held.And then give him a clearly incorrect reg number. Find one from a very new shape Transit for example, just the first one you see on the street.

[Milford Cubicle]

What could he do with the registration number anyway?

[Pillock]

I don't think it's suss.... maybe it's just someone got in touch with him wanting to know "hey, did you used to own ABC123A?" and he genuinely can't remember. However without saying why he needs it, I wouldn't reply either.

[FredTransit]

It did occur to me to ask why he wants to know, but my first thought was it was no longer any of his business.Legitimate reasons to have the reg would beAccountancy/book keeping reasons We have a reciept (and he had a copy)DVLA records (we have a V5 in our company name, so not likely)Police/council have contacted him about a ticket (again the V5 is now in our name)Either way, why didn't he say in his question? If it was the third one, I would be jumping up and down about it, but if it was the second he will have had the letter about change of ownership by now. If it's the first, I remembered he kept a copy of the (hand written) reciept, so the number be on that. Now I am more sus after remembering that.

[Volksy]

I'd just send a simple response of "Why?"

[Station]

...and then charge him a 'reasonable fee' (usually £10-£15) as allowed for by the data protection act to cover the cost of retreiving and assembling the data held.And then give him a clearly incorrect reg number. Find one from a very new shape Transit for example, just the first one you see on the street.

And then put him on hold when he phones, with muzak playing for an hour, and then hang up.

[FredTransit]

......press 1 to be ignored......press 2 to hang on for hours......press 3 to get a chance to press 4