Is your car a clone? -- Page 2

Kahn believes it's difficult to protect yourself against this type of victimization for a couple of reasons. The first is timing. "The clones often get registered before the legitimate vehicles do," he says.

He explains that criminals with the intent to steal VINs often strike at the point of import -- the wharfs -- where imported vehicles first hit the shores of America. The VIN can be obtained through a brief visit to the port, looking through the windshields of the many vehicles there and jotting the number down. Then with the appropriate forged documents, other vehicles similar in make and model to those on the docks will be registered at DMVs in the United States before the imported ones ever touch their tires to road. Later, when those vehicles reach dealerships and consumers buy them, the VINs will already have been in use.

Secondly, DMVs are "not yet communicating daily with each other via their databases," says Kahn. That makes it possible for a single VIN to be used on 10 vehicles in 10 states without the respective offices realizing there is duplication. In this way, Kahn says, it's easy for the criminals. All they have to do is cross state lines and the problem goes undetected for months or years.

However, Badger says the police have access to a nationwide database. With a little effort, a police officer can uncover information on stolen vehicles.

What's a consumer to do?
There isn't much a person can do to prevent this from happening, but Kahn offers a few suggestions.

• Purchase vehicles from well-known dealerships only. "They are partially responsible for the authenticity of the vehicle and in some cases have supplied replacement vehicles," he says.
• Do your own background check using carfax.com or a similar source to find out if it has a salvage title, which means it shouldn't be driven on U.S. roads. Also determine what the true year of manufacture is, the original color, and if it was ever reported stolen and recovered.

Badger knows of no law that requires a dealer to replace or compensate a victim for their loss unless they're complicit in selling stolen vehicles. However, if the dealer has also been duped, usually they will take responsibility to protect their reputations, he says. They wouldn't want to be known for supplying a stolen vehicle and not making it right.

Before-you-buy precautions
Badger offers the following precautions you can take with your vehicle or one you intend to purchase:

• Be cautious of a seller with no fixed address of employment or phone number.
• Ensure the VIN plate on the automobile dash is present, secure, and has no loose rivets. If the VIN plate is scratched, bent or missing rivets, tampering may have occurred.
• Thieves may remove the VIN plate and replace it with one from a similar wrecked vehicle. If in doubt about plate authenticity, check with a new-car dealer who handles the same model, or contact a law enforcement agency.
• Ensure that the VIN plate has not been repainted and the numbers stamped in the plate appear to be original factory numbers.
• The VIN on the dash must match the VIN on the registration, title and federal safety inspection sticker on the driver's door.