Drivers Protect Themselves Against Automobile Identity Theft

May 27, 2005 -- If you're buying a used car, be careful. You could be buying one that has been stolen, thanks to a new crime fad.

We are talking auto identity theft and it's all about stealing Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs).

Here's how it works: Thieves copy VIN numbers of legal cars, then make new VIN plates for stolen cars. Your VIN, a 17-digit alpha-numeric code is sort of like the Social Security number for the car.

Auto theft experts call it cloning. Add a faked title and cloned VIN to a stolen vehicle and you've got a sale that might look good, but it isn't.

The victims are hit on both sides -- the stolen number and the unsuspecting buyer of the cloned vehicle.

If you purchase a cloned car police will seize the property and you will lose the money you spent on it. Cloned cars turn up everywhere.

Police say you can protect yourself on the buyer's side by making sure you know the background of who is selling you a vehicle.

Getting a CarFax report on any potential purchase is also a good $15 investment. Don't forget to also check the StolenCarReports.com database to see if your vehicle has been stolen.

Thieves are less likely to steal and clone a car that will require them to replace all of the windows. For that reason it is worth the $20 investment to purchase a do-it-yourself VIN etch kit (see http://www.VINetcher.com) or find out when your local police can do this for you.




Drivers Protect Themselves Against Automobile Identity Theft



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