Thieves Using 'VIN Cloning' To Steal Car's Identity
POSTED: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
UPDATED: 7:41 am EDT April 25,
2006
 "If a car is stolen, it's advantageous for the thief to change the vehicle identification number because then it wouldn't show up in law enforcement data banks as a stolen vehicle," J.D. Power and Associates spokesman Charles Vogelheim said. |
Authorities in Florida are warning used car buyers about a new type of car theft called "VIN cloning" or car ID theft, according to a Problem Solvers investigation.The report said car owners should be on the lookout for the possibility that their car's vehicle identification number may have been changed to hide the fact that the car was stolen."If a car is stolen, it's advantageous for the thief to change the vehicle identification number because then it wouldn't show up in law enforcement data banks as a stolen vehicle," J.D. Power and Associates spokesman Charles Vogelheim said.Authorities said thieves copy the VIN number right off a car's dashboard and then place it on a stolen car of similar make and model.They then re-register the car, hiding its history from unsuspecting buyers."In the United States in the year 2004, 225,000 cars were reported with duplicate VINs on them, Allstate insurance spokeswoman Dee Leekha said. "It's a big problem. It has cost the industry over $4 billion a year."The report said that car buyers who end up with a used vehicle with a stolen VIN number could be out of luck."As the owner of the car, you're responsible," Leekha said. "So you just bought a stolen car, it could be repossessed, probably will be."The report said people buying a used car should make sure to check the history of the title. If it has been registered several times in several states, it could be a red flag.Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
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