VIN SCAM protect your ZR-1

[WB9MCW]

This came in an e-mail to me from another vette friend John Potocki "the old dog".......

I have just found out from a friend who runs a very high $$ auto body shop about a new method of car theft. It is your VIN #. If you call a dealership and tell them you lost your keys but have your VIN most will replace your key if you bring them the VIN# and most DO NOT ask for ID.
Obviously you use an out of town dealership . .

The law does not permit moving or altering the VIN but you may cover it as long as the cover is easily removable (tape/index card etc.) for the police or inspection station to verify.

Never thought of this at all but I am going to cover mine today . .

jcp

http://www.psxextreme.com/wallpapers/psp/GTALCS_3.jpg

[taximan1]

Good info. Also, if you do the car show thing, cover your vin, and never display a window sticker with the vin.

I am in the insurance business, and a large collector car insurer has had multiple theft claims of cars , days after car shows. They had displayed window stickers, and a lot of shows give you a placard with your name and town, to put on your windshield for judging.

Thieves can now walk up to your car at a show to check it out, and write down:

your name
your hometown (then easily get your address)
your vin #
originating dealer (from an original window sticker)

from there they case your house, break in, use the perfectly made key they have, and drive away with your car.

[tomtom72]

Okay, I know I'm not the brightest light in the fixture....:mrgreen:
They can get the VATS code from the VIN #? That's just great! Well mine is a fairly well used one now so I don't do much except for cruise-in type open your clam shell get togethers....I can't keep mine clean enough to show it in a real car show with judges...:o I guess the cards from the registry will now have another use!:-D

[Jeffvette]

They can not get the VATS code from the dealership. It must be measured from the pellet, or from the CCM.

As far as getting your keys cut, dealerships will ask for proof of ownership.

[Jeffvette]

On top of that, coming from Potocki http://images.corvetteforum.com/images/smilies/rolleyes5.gif

[Jim Jones]

Actually, this scam has been around for several years, it's not just Z specific. Thieves get smarter all the time. I arrested a guy on the 4th of July in a stolen van. The van had been stolen in January '06 and he was driving it with stolen tags, get this, the tags were off the exact same kind ofvan, same year, and color. When we called the name that the plates came back to, they didn't even know their license plates had been stolen.

They do the same with junkyards. They go buy a wrecked car and then go steal the exact same car and switch the "visible" VIN plates. Only by checking the other places on the car where the VIN is stamped can you be sure. That's the one that scares me.

Jim