![]() ![]() In some cases, dishonest dealers and other individuals can buy these vehicles, dry and clean them and sell them to unsuspecting buyers as used vehicles. ![]() If the vehicle is damaged to the point of being inoperable, the owner’s insurance company will settle the claim for a total loss and then sell the vehicle as a “salvage” vehicle at an auto auction. Water and Vehicles Don’t Mix: Don’t Get “Flooded Out”Ī “flood vehicle” is one that has been completely or partially submerged in water to the extent that its body, engine, transmission or other mechanical component parts have been damaged. Trust your instincts – if you don’t like the answers you’re hearing or if the deal sounds too good to be true, walk away!.If possible, ask someone from your insurance company to inspect the vehicle prior to purchase.Analyze the ownership pattern for any new or late-model vehicle with no lien holder (i.e., no outstanding car loans – the seller tells you the car is “paid off”).Check the vehicle’s VIN with appropriate government agencies or your state bureau of motor vehicles.Be careful about purchasing a used vehicle from someone you don’t know who is running an online ad and using a cell phone number.If and when the VIN-switch is discovered, the car you paid for will be confiscated and returned to the original owner or the insurance company if a theft claim has already been paid. If you buy a “cloned” vehicle, it is never really yours.The criminal sells the “cloned” vehicle to an unsuspecting buyer, typically using counterfeit ownership documents or documentation they have obtained under false pretenses.The stolen vehicle’s true VIN tag is replaced with the counterfeit VIN tag, making the stolen vehicle a “clone” of the original.The criminal steals a vehicle similar to the one with the legitimate VIN.Because most licensing agencies do not check for duplicate ownership when an out-of-state ownership document is surrendered, the odds of discovery are fairly low. Car thieves often travel across state and international borders to sell vehicles at the highest prices. The copied VIN is then used to create counterfeit VIN tags. ![]() Enterprising criminals can copy a VIN from a legally owned and documented vehicle sitting in a parking lot, on the street or at a vehicle dealership. Vehicle cloning is a highly lucrative crime. A maximum of five searches can be conducted within a 24-hour period per IP address. To perform a search, a vehicle identification number (VIN) is required. NICB's VINCheck is a free service provided to the public to assist in determining if a vehicle has been reported as stolen, but not recovered, or has been reported as a salvage vehicle by cooperating NICB member insurance companies.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |