Yahoo Autos Watch DMV Cops Bust An Unlicensed Repair Shop
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Getting scammed by a mechanic is horrible, but some states like Nevada have DMV police who swoop in and bust unlicensed shops. It’s all part of an effort to crack down on scams where customers drop off their vehicles, only to never get them back, or get them back in pieces.
Exposed: open air chop shops authorities ignore.
Local news station Fox5 Las Vegas rode along in a recent raid and it’s pretty interesting to watch. The DMV investigators are dressed how you’d imagine a regular city cop and they drive cars with lights and sirens. But they’re focusing solely on crimes like what this body shop has been accused of doing.
Some victims of the shop were present after the DMV cops descended and started inventorying everything. One of the said he dropped his truck off nine months ago to replace the transmission but said instead they stripped off half the parts from it.
Since these shops aren’t properly licensed, bonded, and insured there’s often little recourse if the mess up your car or won’t give it back to you. It really makes you think twice about where you drop off your vehicle for repairs.
Chief Decker told Fox5 these shops often engage in insurance fraud. That’s why members of the National Insurance Crime Bureau also showed up, examining cars and records closely. In this case, the owner was hit with seven criminal citations, plus two administrative citations as well as fines totaling $15,000.
It sounds like sometimes investigators find stolen cars at these unlicensed shops. We’ve seen chop shops operate out of these types of businesses, all with the guise of legitimacy.
Most states, like Nevada, have an online database through the DMV which lets you check to see if a repair shop is properly licensed. It’s probably wise to use that tool in your state if it’s available before dropping your car off for any repairs.
Image via Fox5 Las Vegas/YouTube
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