The National Insurance Crime Bureau Hot Spots report released Aug. 31, 2021, showed a significant spike in auto thefts for 2020, and that trend is continuing. Car thieves will attempt to sell many of those stolen cars to unsuspecting victims, including dealers,
through altering the vehicle identification number (VIN) to match a genuine duplicate title of a similar vehicle or by creating fake titles. Dealers can help stop this victimization by conducting good VIN inspections and reviewing titles. A VIN inspection involves verifying the vehicle\u2019s VIN matches the VIN on the title or other document provided. It
is especially important if a fraudster has acquired a duplicate genuine title. Indications that a VIN has been tampered with can include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Two or more different VINs on
the vehicle \u2013 with the exception of
some motor homes or other two-stage manufactured vehicles
\u2022 Altered or missing VIN
\u2022 Evidence the VIN plates\/tags
have been removed or replaced
\u2022 The Federal Standards Sticker (FSS) does not match the VIN or is missing, and there are other indications the VIN has been altered. Sometimes the VIN is genuine, but the title is not. A fake title may be identified by:
\u2022 Poor print quality, especially in the decorative border or type-written fonts
\u2022 Erasures or alterations
\u2022 The watermark is odd or missing if one is used by the state of issuance
\u2022 The title VIN may not match the VIN on the vehicle <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dealers certify they have physically inspected the VIN, its type and
condition when they sign the DMV VIN Inspection Form (735-0011).
If the dealer does not actually view the VIN but completes the form only
on the basis of the VIN on the title, the dealer may be subject to the civil
penalties listed below:
\u2022 Making a false statement of material fact on a DMV document
\u2022 False swearing relating to the regulation of a vehicle dealer business
Both violations can result in civil penalties of up to $1,000 per offense.
Either violation can also result in
sanctions up to and including permanent revocation of the dealer certificate and the right of the principals to apply for a new certificate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The National Insurance Crime Bureau Hot Spots report released Aug. 31, 2021, showed a significant spike in auto thefts for 2020, and that trend is continuing. Car thieves will attempt to sell many of those stolen cars to unsuspecting victims, including dealers,through altering the vehicle identification number (VIN) to match a genuine duplicate title of a similar vehicle or by creating fake titles. Dealers can help stop this victimization by conducting good VIN inspections and reviewing titles. A VIN inspection involves verifying the vehicle\u2019s VIN matches the VIN on the title or other document provided. Itis especially important if a… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19622","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"mb":[],"yoast_head":"\n