The Dutch government is teaming up with Belgian authorities to tackle fraud with vehicle counter readings. Reversing counter readings is said to be widespread and cause a lot of economic damage. The countries will exchange data with each other to uncover fraud.
A 2015 sample showed that some five per cent of vehicles imported into the Netherlands from Belgium had had their odometer readings reduced by an average of 45,000 km. Of vehicles going from the Netherlands to Belgium, 20 per cent of the counters had been reversed by an average of 110,000 km. This would cause economic damage and unfair competition and could have negative effects on the safety of road users. Counter fraud in the EU would cost around €5.6 billion annually.
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As the Netherlands and Belgium both record the counter readings of cars, the countries can easily retrieve the series of recorded readings when importing. By comparing these with the counter readings, cross-border counter fraud can be spotted.
"With this cooperation, we can reduce cross-border counter reading fraud between the Netherlands and Belgium. This is important for the safety of consumers, and also to prevent them from being ripped off when they buy. For car companies, it means that dishonest competitors are caught earlier and the economic damage of fraud is minimised," said Minister Schultz van Haegen (Infrastructure and Environment). The data-sharing trial will start at the beginning of November. The RDW will evaluate the results over the course of next year.
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