Car thieves in Maine are becoming more sophisticated

Car thieves are becoming more sophisticated in Maine as the state has seen a rise of “cloned” vehicle identification numbers over the past five years.

Thieves will take the vehicle identification number from one car, sometimes one that is salvaged, and affix it to another to hide a stolen vehicle, said Derek Dinsmore, director of the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicle Enforcement Services Division.

“It’s not your old time stolen vehicle where someone jumps in your car when it’s on the side of the road,” Dinsmore said. “Some of these are sophisticated criminal enterprises.”

A Mainer recently bought two $80,000 GMC trucks with cash but he learned the vehicles were stolen with cloned VINs when he went to get titles. The trucks came from a “pretty elaborate” theft ring out of Texas, Dinsmore said. It’s unclear how large the theft ring was, but if two trucks made it to Maine, there’s a good chance they’re in other states as well.

VIN clonings are happening across the country and in Canada as well, Dinsmore said.

Unknowingly purchasing a stolen vehicle can be a financial blow, as insurance companies and banks don’t typically reimburse someone after they accidently buy a vehicle with a cloned VIN. Mainers should be diligent when making a purchase, especially if it’s a private sale.

It’s a “buyer beware” world, Dinsmore said. He said buying a title report from places like the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System or Carfax before buying a vehicle from an unlicensed dealer will likely flag issues like a vehicle seemingly being in two places at once.

A switched or cloned VIN is typically found on higher-end vehicles because thieves can sell the car at a lower price to make it seem like the buyer is getting a deal, Dinsmore said. The BMV enforcement services recovered a Maserati from Florida a couple of years ago, but sometimes the issue pops up on vehicles like a Toyota Camry.

Spending the money to buy an outside report and ensuring the information makes sense with what the buyer says about the history is important.

“It doesn’t always mean that person had anything to do with the actual theft,” Dinsmore said. “They might have just come into contact or ownership with the vehicle in between and it just hasn’t been caught yet.”

If someone comes across a car with a VIN they believe has been cloned, they should call local police and the BMV’s Enforcement Services Division at 207-624-9000 ext. 52144. This allows the enforcement division to investigate any potential illegal activity, Dinsmore said.

“You need to really do your due diligence and pay attention to what you’re purchasing,” he said.