Missouri State Highway Patrol: Car buyers beware of VIN cloning scam

It's a scam that's duping car buyers across the country out of thousands of dollars. VIN cloning is when criminals take the vehicle registration number from one car and copy it to a stolen vehicle. They then sell the car for a profit.
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[@krgetler]

Seems like there are reasonably straight forward ways to reduce the risk. Each vehicle's original VIN is in multiple places. I believe it is found in the following places 1) The drivers door (decal), 2) dashboard in front of steering wheel (plate), 3) on the engine block, 4) on the body under the spare tire well, 5) in the top of driver's side rear wheel well, 6) on the front-vertical face of the door jam sort of beneath the left hand mirror if the door was closed (engraved) and 7) in the Engine Control Module. I understand some cars even have it etched on the glass. Look up the VIN locations of the year/model you are buying and verify the VIN as in many spots as practical.

[@kalimmuska9464]

See no evil. Hear no evil

[@matthewkira6668]

It is necessity to do some research on a car's background before buying it. You don't want to end up with a car that may cost you more than what you expect. If you have extra cash to spare, you should definitely buy a car report from either Carfax or AutoCheck. Otherwise, you can lookup the VIN on VinCheck.info to access free vehicle history reports.

[@HienLe-vh1mx]

phimset