How to alleviate registration faux pas

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Ryan Conroy
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  Recently, the 31st Security Forces Squadron Pass and Registration office reported a series of car-purchasing scams affecting Team Aviano.

To help protect Airmen and families from falling victim to these fraudulent sales, the pass and registration office offers simple tips and tools to ease the car-buying process and avoid problems commonly attributed to buying cars outside the U.S.

Here is a list of common questions and answers from Staff Sgt. Megan Burks, 31st SFS Pass and Registration NCO in charge:

1) What is pass and registration and what services do they offer the base populous?

"The pass and registration office serves as the vehicle registration office for all personnel assigned to the base. They also authorize fuel rations, issue handicap and maternity passes, restricted area badges and AFI driver's licenses."

2) What are some reasons pass and registration wouldn't accept a vehicle registration?

"If a vehicle is purchased from a country other than Italy and the buyer does not receive a registration in their name from the country they purchased it in, they will not be able to register it through our office."

3) What is some advice you have for people buying cars on the economy?

"I would recommend bringing the registration documents to the pass and registration office for review before purchasing the vehicle to ensure you will have no issues registering it after purchase. It is also highly recommended to pay for the vehicle with a check or money order as cash transactions are difficult to track."

4) What are some red flags a typical car-buyer would see when attempting to buy a car here?

"Potential red flags when purchasing a vehicle here in Italy include: The seller asking for cash transaction instead of a check or money order, or if the original registration and vehicle information is in any language besides Italian."

5) Are there any examples that come to mind?

"We recently had an individual purchase a vehicle from a local Italian dealership, but the registration documents were German not Italian. Since the documents were not Italian, the individual was unable to register the vehicle on base without taking a trip to Germany to receive a German registration in the individual's name."

For more information regarding car buying and registration, the Pass and Registration Office is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Their office is located in Bldg. 1403 in Area F. For quick questions, call 632-4858.