VIN Cloning: Auto Identity Theft Affects Used Car Buyers

FAIRFAX, Va.--May 2, 20055, 2005--Thousands of used car buyers and owners today are victimized by scam artists stealing their identity - their car's identity, that is. Out of the 1.5 million vehicles stolen in the United States each year, more than 225,000 end up with the vehicle identification number (VIN) from a legally owned vehicle and are resold. This scam, called "VIN cloning," costs consumers and insurance companies an estimated $4 billion annually.

VIN cloning masks the true identity of a stolen vehicle by using the VIN from a similar, non-stolen make and model. To help combat this fraud, Carfax works with law enforcement agencies across the country and the Carfax Vehicle History Report is one of the primary weapons investigators use to identify and track vehicle cloning.