VIN-cloning scam on the rise

It’s a scam that can cost you cash and your new car. It’s called VIN cloning, when a scammer steals the Vehicle Identification Number from a car and places it on one that’s stolen. Then they try to sell it.

A 2019 Toyota 4Runner was Maril Bauter’s retirement ride.

“It was clean. Clean title. No accidents,” Bauter said.

But Bauter got hit head-on by a fraudster.

“There was no way for her to know that this was actually a stolen car,” said Lt. Jason Hicks of Washington State Patrol.

Bauter lost $40,000 and the vehicle to what’s called a cloned VIN scam.

“A cloned VIN is when an individual copies a VIN from another vehicle, steals a similar car and puts the good VIN on the stolen vehicle in an effort to fool departments of licensing, DMVs or the police.”

Or people like Bauter.

Back in December 2021, she found the SUV on Facebook Marketplace and contacted the seller, who was quick to send the VIN. Bauter says she checked the VIN and the Carfax report.

“But it all matched,” she said. “You know, everything matched up -- the title, the VIN number, the name.”

Bauter’s 4Runner was registered for almost three years. But when she tried to renew her registration in February, the licensing agent directed her to a VIN inspection by the Washington State Patrol.

The police report says the SUV was stolen from a car dealership in Vancouver, Washington. And the VIN was copied from a vehicle with a similar make and model near Portland.

“So, whoever did this went above and beyond what’s normally done in these situations to obtain that fraudulent title,” said Hicks. “And that car now has to be seized because it’s a stolen vehicle.”

“I was making it my forever car, and I just had to walk away,” Bauter said.

Bauter did file a claim with her insurance company, and after some back and forth, the insurance company covered the loss of her car.

Experts say in addition to checking the Carfax to make sure the VIN matches, check the car itself. VIN numbers are usually on the driver’s side door jam or inside the glove compartment.

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