CHAMBLEE, Ga. — Drivers are getting caught in a stolen car scheme that’s leaving them in debt and with nothing to drive, according to Chamblee Police Department.
Undercover officers with the Chamblee Crime Suppression Team said more and more thieves are sticking made up VINs on stolen cars so they can sell them to people and dealerships without getting noticed.
A sergeant on the team said it’s left drivers tens of thousands of dollars in debt.
He shared video of an innocent metro-Atlanta woman who lost more than $20,000 after buying a stolen car from a woman.
In the video, the woman told the officers, “I put in the VIN and came up with a Honda ’22, all the information. So, I was thinking there wasn’t anything wrong.”
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We are not sharing her name to protect her identity because police said she’s innocent.
“Now, she’s left without a car but also a car note she has to pay for a car she doesn’t have,” the undercover sergeant told Channel 2’s Courtney Francisco.
He said thieves copy VINs from random cars in parking lots, scrap yards, make up their own and print out stickers with those numbers.
Chamblee police have recovered more than 20 stolen cars with fraudulent VINs so far this year.
Officers said the scheme does not just affect those in the market for a car. It’s causing insurance premiums to rise and funds criminals who put metro-Atlanta in danger.
They shared dash camera video of six people running from a stolen Jeep with guns in their hands.
“Right in front of Plaza Fiesta,” the Sergeant said.
He shared a photo of a table full of guns and ammo discovered in another VIN case.
So, before you buy, he said you can pay for a CARFAX report or an OBD scanner.
If the VIN is registered in two states, that’s a red flag. You can also type the VIN into the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration’s recall website for free.
That website will show an “error” message if the number is fake.
You can also type the VIN into the manufacturer’s website to check to see if the VIN exists.
The team in Chamblee has a Regional Auto Theft Taskforce that teaches officers around the Southeast how to investigate the crime and educate the public.
To protect yourself from car theft, they said you can buy a wheel lock or use a GPS location device in the car.
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