Re-VIN Fraud

Version française

Every vehicle manufactured in Canada has a unique vehicle identification number (VIN) that can be used to track recalls, insurance registration and the history of the respective vehicle. Re-VIN fraud can occur in different ways, including:

Replaced VIN

• The original VIN is replaced with a new, fraudulent number to facilitate the illegal resale or export of the vehicle.

Cloned VIN

• The bad actor steals an existing VIN from another vehicle and repurposes it to a stolen car to then sell to an unsuspecting buyer

Fictitious VIN

• The VIN is made-up and the vehicle has never been manufactured. Bad actors insure the vehicle, and then claim it as stolen. This includes when an individual insures a ‘ghost vehicle’ (a vehicle that only exists on paper) using a fictitious or cloned VIN in order to fraudulently claim the vehicle as stolen.

Organized crime networks are looking at stolen vehicles in Canada as a low-risk/high-reward fraud opportunity, regardless if the vehicles are for export or domestic resale. The proceeds are used to finance illegal activities, such as domestic drug trafficking and international terrorism. These crimes hurt communities and put Canada in the spotlight internationally as a source country for illegal trade.

At the request of our member companies or law enforcement, Équité Association’s expert investigators examine suspected stolen, re-VINed vehicles to determine their true identity and assist law enforcement to identify vehicles captured on photo or video surveillance.

Équité continues to work with partners and stakeholders to provide expert vehicle examinations, expertise in insurance crime investigations and to share intelligence and analytics to predict and prevent insurance crimes.

To report information about insurance crime by phone (available 24/7), please call 1-877-422-TIPS (English) or 1-866-422-4331 (service en français). If you would like to remain anonymous, please call our partners at Crime Stoppers Canada (available 24/7) at 1-800-222-TIPS or complete their online form.

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