What is a VIN?
Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) are serial numbers for vehicles
that are used to differentiate similar makes and models. Much like social
security numbers, every vehicle has a different VIN. VIN plates are located
on the dashboard and can be viewed through the windshield. Law enforcement
agencies use VINs to determine if a vehicle has an active theft record.
Types of Scams
VIN Switch:
VIN Switching is a technique used by thieves to disguise the identity
of a stolen vehicle. They will replace the VIN on a stolen vehicle with
a VIN that is not associated with an active theft record. The vehicle
thief will then try to resell the stolen car to an unsuspecting customer.
In addition to manually switching the VIN, some VIN switchers will also
develop fraudulent titles and registrations to go along with the vehicle.
Salvage Switch: A Case of Taken Identity
A vehicle which is extensively damaged, burned or stripped and deemed
not worthy of repair is called "salvaged." Thieves use a phony
name and address to buy a salvaged vehicle solely for its title and
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). They steal a car of the same make
and model and switch the VINs -- removing the rectangular VIN plate
from the salvaged car and placing it in the stolen car, giving the vehicle
a "clean" look. The perpetrators then claim the stolen car
is the salvaged one that s been rebuilt, register the car using the
same phony name and address, and resell it to an innocent purchaser.
Strip and Run:
The Strip and Run is another scam thieves use to disguise a stolen car.
Here, a vehicle thief will steal a car, strip it for its parts, then
abandon it. The police eventually recover the vehicle and cancel the
theft record. The thieves purchase the frame at an insurance or police
auto auction and then re-attach the parts they had stolen. The end result
is a road-worthy car that is no longer listed as stolen.
The NICB Fights Back
NICB Online helps close the loopholes that allow VINswitching to flourish.
An NICB Online service, VINassist, allows insurance and law enforcement
professionals to decode VINs to reveal the vehicle s make, model, model
year, engine size and restraint system. If the vehicle's characteristics
provided by VINassist do not match the vehicle, there is a good chance
the vehicle has undergone a VIN switch.
Another NICB Online service, NICB EyeQ, also provides investigators
with the vehicle s history. If the vehicle is involved in a salvage
switch, NICB EyeQ will have a salvage record attached to the VIN.
Don't Let A Vehicle Thief Take You For A Ride: Consumer Tips
Look closely at the VIN plate, located on the driver s side of the dashboard,
to see if it appears tampered.
Never buy a used car without getting the vehicle s title or pink slip
in person; and double check the vehicle identification number with the
number listed on the title, the registration papers and the federal
certification label on the driver s side door.
Ask to see identification of the person who is selling you the car;
write down his/her name, address, phone number and drivers license number
for your records.
Call the phone number given to you by the vehicle s owner. Often, scam
artists will provide the phone number of a random pay phone.
© 1997 National Insurance
Crime Bureau
