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A vehicle previously belonging to the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) has had its registration details illegally used for another vehicle for fraudulent activity, authorities have established.
This was made known in a recent development related to the ongoing investigation by ZRA.
The vehicle in question was involved in an accident and subsequently written off by the insurance company, explained ZRA Corporate Communications Manager, Oliver Nzala in a statement issued on Monday.
Nzala revealed that ZRA had unearthed a motor vehicle identity scam in which perpetrators used registration numbers of other motor vehicles to smuggle vehicles into the country.
“The new vehicle was not duly cleared and no duties were paid for its registration, constituting a serious violation of national laws and regulations under the Customs and Excise Act. The estimated revenue loss from this smuggling act is K 97,700,” Nzala said.
He regretted that this incident underscored the sophisticated nature of the fraud being perpetrated and the lengths to which individuals would go to circumvent legal and regulatory frameworks.
“In light of these events, the ZRA, in partnership with the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA), the Zambia Police Service and other key stakeholders, is intensifying efforts to enhance the security features of vehicle registration documents and to tighten controls across the board.
“Our goal is to prevent future incidents of fraud and to protect public revenues and safety. We call upon anyone with information related to vehicle identity theft, including the misuse of registration details of vehicles written off or involved in accidents, to provide such information to ZRA,” Nzala said.
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