Cloning

One particularly popular selling scam is cloning, where a stolen car is given the identity of another car. Cloning a car is carried out by copying the identity of a legitimate vehicle already on the road, and using this identity to disguise a different (usually stolen) car.

After stealing a car, the thieves head for a neighboring state, where they look for a large car dealership that has the exact make and model (and even the same color) of the stolen one. After jotting down the vehicle identification number (VIN) stamped on the top of the dashboard, they make an exact replica of the VIN tag, pull the old tag out of the car, and put in the new one. In this way, a clone is born: two identical cars, one identification number.

In the final step, the thieves use forgery to get a real title or other ownership documents from the motor vehicle office in the neighboring state. After that, they can sell the vehicle to an unsuspecting victim for nearly full price. And as the car is legally registered and not reported stolen, it's nearly untraceable.

You can guard against buying a cloned car by checking that there is no evidence of tampering around the riveted VIN plates; loose rivets are a characteristic giveaway. Some thieves may also grind away the stamped VIN and insert another plate in its place.

If you do buy a clone, the car does not legally belong to you and once the deception is discovered it will either be returned to the original owner or sold as salvage, to enable the insurance company to recover their losses. Never try to sell on a clone as you will be liable to prosecution; tell the police immediately. Unfortunately, most clones are sold by highly organized gangs of criminals who are able to cover their tracks thoroughly to avoid detection and there is little chance you will be able to get your money back.