LAS VEGAS - You've heard of identity theft for people but what about your car? It's called VIN cloning or VIN switching. Crooks steal the vehicle identification number from your car and put it on a stolen one, and it's becoming a nationwide problem.
Most modern cars are covered with their VIN numbers. That mix of numbers and letters can tell a lot about a car, like where it was made or how many accidents it's been in.
Crooks are also using that information. A criminal can steal a clean VIN and put it on a stolen car, masking its real identity.
Just like cars come in all shapes and sizes, VINs are like unique fingerprints.
"It's a way of finding out about that specific car," said Findlay Toyota General Sales Manager John Barr. "You can find out all the information. Everyone relates to the VIN number for values and for the car facts and for the history report."
Barr says occasionally people will experience problems with their VIN and may not know it.
"If there was an issue with a VIN number, we would pull it up on Carfax," he said. "If we pulled it up on Carfax, and we perceived there to be a problem, it's going to affect the value of the car."
According to Carfax, VIN cloning costs dealerships and consumers billions of dollars every year.
"A theft can take a clean VIN number. They can put it on a hot car or stolen car and, for awhile, that stolen car will actually have a legitimate identity," said Metro Police Officer Bill Cassell. "So, they can possibly register the car. Maybe, they'll even be stopped by the police."
Police say officers can overlook a swiped VIN number during a traffic stop. Thieves who chop up stolen cars for parts have forced many manufacturers to put VINS all over vehicles.
"We see VIN switching. There are a lot of cars that are stolen to be chopped up and sold as parts, and some of the parts that are stolen are ones with VINs on them," Cassell said.
Metro says they are aware of the problem. Authorities say when you buy a car, verify that the VIN on the title matches the multiple VINs on the car. You can even go a step further and etch the VIN number on the glass, which makes the vehicle easier to track if stolen.
Metro says a lot of car thieves look for an easy opportunity, and VIN cloning takes quite a bit of work.
Overall, Metro says car thefts are down in their jurisdiction about 8 percent compared with this time last year.
