Criminals are able to flog stolen vehicles by turning them into "ghost cars", an expert has warned. Modern car thieves have various tricks up their sleeve to access break into motors and drive them away before selling them.

Mark McCann, a popular YouTuber who has investigated how crooks target cars - and often get away with it - spoke to The Sun, laying out some classic tactics that they employ. Mark, 51, explained that these days, thieves can use devices to record and clone the signal emitted by wireless key fobs used to unlock cars while hanging around outside the owner's property.

They can then use these phoney fobs to open the car door and even start the engine, but there are other layers of security they have to contend with, even if they manage to drive away.

This includes the car's Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), a 17-character code every car has.

This is known as the vehicle's identity, and it can can be used to help establish who a vehicle's legitimate owner is in the event of theft.

However, Mark told the outlet that criminals can get around this by changing the code. They do this by plugging another device into the car's onboard diagnostic (OBD) system.

He says after switching the VIN, they can then flog the vehicle without it being flagged and pocket the cash.

“Once it has that new VIN number it looks like a legitimate car. They are no longer selling a stolen car, so it’s untraceable. We see them regularly change hands," he told the newspaper.

It means people can unknowingly buy a vehicle that was stolen and sell it on without ever knowing that it had been nabbed from a despairing car owner.

Criminals buy VINs from cars that have been moved abroad or scrapped without the DVLA being informed on the black market, Mark told The Sun.

The UK Government website lists various steps people should take when purchasing a new car to help avoid being sold a stolen or unsafe vehicle.

These include asking the seller for the registration number, make and model and MOT test number before you go to see it, and check that the details you're given match the information held by DVLA.

You should also then check the MOT status and history matches what the details the seller has given, and whether the vehicle has been recalled due to a serious safety issue.

If you do go to see it, Britons are told to ask to see the V5C vehicle registration certificate (‘log book’) and ensure it has a "DVL" watermark, and the serial number is not between BG8229501 to BG9999030, or BI2305501 to BI2800000.

If it is, the V5C might be stolen. In this case, the government says you should call the police as soon as it’s safe to.

You should also check that the details, including the VIN and engine number in the log book match the details the seller has given.

You can find out more information on the Government website here.