ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A knock on the door turned Amber Wolnomiejski’s world upside down — and left her without the vehicle she’s still paying for every month.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office impounded her 2019 Nissan Rogue SUV after investigators found the vehicle identification number, or VIN, on the dashboard was fraudulent.
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“They said, you now have to hand over you car,” Wolnomiejski told News 6.
The VIN on the Rogue matched the VIN on a carsforsale.com report Wolnomiejski said she obtained before she purchased the vehicle from an Orlando used car dealership in 2023. But when deputies searched the SUV at her home in December 2025, they found a second, different VIN.
When investigators took the vehicle to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office for further inspection, they found a third VIN — one that matched a vehicle reported stolen out of Orange County in April 2019.
Wolnomiejski has filed a lawsuit against LC Motors 1 Inc, the dealership she purchased the vehicle from, for breach of contract, fraudulent inducement and civil theft.
“You would think that somebody who sells cars, buys and sells cars for a living, would notice something as glaring as three VINs on one vehicle,” she said.
News 6 called the dealership to find out how the stolen vehicle ended up on its lot and eventually in Wolnomiejski’s possession.
An employee said LC Motors 1 Inc. purchased the Nissan from a wholesale auction— a source they have used for years. News 6 then contacted that auction company, Manheim, which on its website calls itself the world’s largest automotive marketplace.
We asked whether Manheim inspects vehicles before selling them and what safeguards are in place to prevent stolen vehicles from reaching buyers. A spokesperson responded in a statement.
“Manheim is an industry-leading nationwide wholesale used vehicle services company that facilitates millions of sales each year between registered commercial and dealer buyers and sellers. We are not the owner of the vehicles sold at auction and are not a consumer-facing business. In a rare circumstance like this, we rely on our local law enforcement partners to investigate and would direct you to the department listed on the report you shared.”
In the meantime, Wolnomiejski is still paying off the more than $20,000 loan she received to pay for the vehicle.
“I’m still paying $330 a month for a car that I don’t have and living well below my means right now,” she said.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office told News 6 the vehicle was returned to the theft victim, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and that Wolnomiejski is now a fraud victim.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, “Broadly speaking, stolen cars being re-VINed is not a new thing, but we think that has grown substantially with the rise of platforms like Facebook Marketplace and others.”
If you are in the market for a used vehicle, the agency said there are things consumers can do to help protect themselves and check a VIN:
- Take a car you are interested in buying to a licensed mechanic that has the equipment necessary to check. Dealerships would also be able to do this.
- Run the VIN through CARFAX or other public resources, and make sure the description on that services matches the VIN on the car.
- If the doorframe VIN does not match the VIN on the dashboard, that is a red flag.
- Take a photo of the individual you are buying from and a photo of their driver’s license.
Some manufacturers are now etching the VIN on windows, because in the event those cars are stolen, they would have to replace all windows, according to the Sheriff’s Office.