How to Avoid Car Cloning

Do you know where your car is? Chances are you can pinpoint the exact location of your vehicle right now, but if you conducted a search on your automobile, using its vehicle identification number (VIN), you might learn that it is registered in more than one state and to more than one person. Vehicles with multiple "identities" are part of an automotive theft scam commonly known as "cloning." The worst part about this con is that your vehicle can be "stolen," its identity anyway, without your knowledge.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations, there were 1.2 million vehicles stolen in the U.S. in one year. In some cases, juveniles simply want to go for a joy ride, but more often the stolen vehicles become the profit centers for organized crime rings.

Disappearing Cars

On the whole, the overall automobile theft rate is declining, yet the number of stolen vehicles that are recovered remains the same. This means that each year an increasing number of stolen vehicles seemingly disappear into thin air. Some of these vehicles are stripped and sold for their parts, while others are shipped out of the country. But many times the vehicle is simply "retagged" or cloned with a VIN associated with the same type of vehicle and then resold to an unsuspecting customer. As a result, vehicle owners can become victims in two ways, either by having their vehicles identity stolen or by purchasing a cloned vehicle.

How Cloning Works

To clone a vehicle, a criminal breaks into a vehicle and steals the registration papers and other identifying items. He then steals an identical or nearly identical automobile and orders a new license plate and registration using the information from the first vehicle. The stolen vehicle with the new identity is then sold to an unsuspecting individual or car dealership often in another state.

Vehicle cloning is far from a victimless crime. Owning a vehicle that has been cloned or purchasing one that is a clone can create a huge mess for vehicle owners, insurance companies and law enforcement. Investigations on which vehicle is genuine can be disconcerting, as can having to surrender your vehicle because it was found to be stolen. In many states, individuals with theft insurance who bought a stolen vehicle unknowingly and for a fair market price can recoup the costs of losing a vehicle that is a clone from their insurance companies. But that leaves the insurance companies saddled with the costs, which indirectly raises your insurance premiums.