| Auto Theft Prevention
Every day in the District of Columbia, approximately 18 vehicles are stolen. These stolen vans, cars, motorcycles, and trucks cost victims time and money, as well as increase everyone's insurance premiums. Often, stolen vehicles are used to commit other crimes.
The Metropolitan Police Department recommends a “layered approach” to protecting your vehicle. The theory is that the more “layers of protection” you use, the more difficult your vehicle will be to steal. Read the MPDC's Layered Approach to auto theft prevention.
Read the additional information for auto theft prevention below:
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Consumer Tips
- Look closely at the vehicle identification number (VIN) plate, located on the driver's side of the dashboard, to see if it appears tampered with.
- Never buy a used car without getting the vehicle's title or pink slip at the time you buy it, in person. Double-check the VIN with the number listed on the title, the registration papers, and the federal certification label on the driver's side door.
- Ask to see identification of the person who is selling you the car; record his/her name, address, phone number, and driver's license number. Call the phone number before you buy the car. Often, scam artists will provide the phone number of a pay phone.
- Obtain a vehicle history report. There are several companies that, for a nominal fee, will run the VIN through their computers and check the history of the vehicle. These companies can be found on the web by performing a search for "Vehicle History Reports."
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What Is a VIN Number?
Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) are serial numbers for vehicles that are used to differentiate similar makes and models. Similar to social security numbers, every vehicle has a unique VIN. VIN plates are located on the dashboard and can be viewed through the windshield. Law enforcement agencies use VINs to determine if a vehicle has an active theft record.
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Types of VIN Scams
- VIN Switch: Thieves use VIN switching to disguise the identity of a stolen vehicle. They will replace the VIN on a stolen vehicle with a VIN that is not recorded as stolen. The thief will then try to resell the stolen car to an unsuspecting customer. Some VIN switchers will also create fraudulent titles and registrations to go along with the vehicle.
- Salvage Switch: A vehicle that is extensively damaged, burned, or stripped, and determined not to be eligible for repair is called "salvaged." Thieves use phony identification to buy a salvaged vehicle just to obtain the title and the VIN. Then, they go out and steal a car that is the same make and model, and switch the VIN plates. The thieves then claim that the stolen car is in fact the salvaged one that is rebuilt, register the vehicle using the phony identification information, and then resell it to an innocent purchaser.
- Strip and Run: This is another scam that thieves use to disguise a stolen car. In this situation, a car thief steals a car, strips it for the parts, then abandons it. Eventually, police recover the vehicle and cancel the theft record. The thieves purchase the vehicle’s frame at an insurance or police auto auction and then re-attach the parts they stole from the car, resulting in a car that is no longer listed as stolen.
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