Arizona Man Buys Stolen Ford Bronco

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Yet he was quite careful and still he got burned…

The car fraud schemes seem to be everywhere these days and they’re becoming more sophisticated. A prime example comes out of Arizona where a man bought a brand new Ford Bronco off Craigslist only to later find it was stolen from a factory storage lot, as reported by WILX. Yet the guy was able to register it in the Grand Canyon State even though the VIN was fake.

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Thieves swiped this and other Broncos, plus Ford F-150s from a factory storage lot in Detroit previously. Those factory heists seem to happen with great frequency later, although oftentimes the vehicles are found abandoned or police are able to catch the suspects as they’re driving.

But this time, the thieves were able to get away with the off-roaders and trucks. The sophisticated crime ring was able to apply fake VIN tags to some of the vehicles and send them to states in the South and Southwest, including Arizona.

Even though the man spent $75,000 on the Bronco, which is a ton of money, he had no idea it was stolen. The Arizona MVD also didn’t catch that the VIN was fake. And now the vehicle is in the possession of authorities as they investigate everything. Most likely, the buyer is out that money.

If you’re going to spend big bucks on a vehicle, we recommend reading up on where all the VIN is stamped on the frame and engine block. Look at the VIN tags on the dash and driver’s doorjamb, then compare those to the VINs that are stamped into metal and can’t be easily altered, if at all. That usually reveals any deception.

It’s also not a bad idea to run the VIN through different online databases. There are plenty out there, and if the VIN comes back with no history then you know it’s almost definitely fake.

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