Car cloning is what it’s called, and apparently it’s a lot easier to clone a car than you might think – no DNA involved, only VIN. It’s worse than regular car thievery, because in fact, there is more than one victim for each car that is cloned. The owner of the car that is stolen is victim number one; the person who buys the (unbeknownst to him) stolen car is victim number two; and the person who owns (or eventually owns) the car from which the VIN number is stolen is victim number three.

Here’s how car cloning works. Say a thief steals a very nice brand new higher end car, like a BMW or Mercedes Benz. Once the car is in hand, they usually drive to a neighboring state. Then they look for an identical car, either from the street or most often, from a dealership lot, and they copy down the VIN number from the car. A copy of the VIN plate is made, and then replaces the one in the stolen car. Voilà! A perfect clone! Add in some counterfeit paperwork, register it “legally” in the neighboring state and you’ve got a car ready to sell.

The problem now is that the states don’t “talk” to each other, so you can register a car brought in from anywhere, basically. The good news is that the FBI and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators are working towards creating a national car registration system among the 50 states and Washington, D.C., so that a car with a VIN from one state couldn’t be registered in another state. Currently half of the states are included in the system, with another dozen preparing to come on board.

“Never heard of car cloning,” you say? You will. Nationwide statistics show that there were over 1.3 million vehicles stolen in the United States in 2007. Only about 2/3 of those stolen vehicles were, or ever will be, recovered. More than 20% of the stolen cars were resold, and they account for a large proportion of the cars never recovered. Car cloning – it’s a crime that is gaining popularity, or more appropriately, notoriety, all over the world.

Stayed tuned to this blog for tips on how not to become a victim of car cloning.