National Insurance Crime Bureau Teams with Experian Automotive to Fight VIN Cloning
Leading vehicle history information used to help law enforcement combat growing automotive industry scam
DES PLAINES, Ill., and SCHAUMBURG, Ill., April 18 // -- The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) today announced that it has teamed with Experian Automotive, a division of global information solutions company Experian(R) Inc., to use its AutoCheck vehicle history reporting solution to help identify and recover vehicles stolen and resold through VIN cloning scams.
VIN cloning, which involves using a vehicle identification number (VIN) from a legally owned vehicle and then reusing it on a similar, though stolen vehicle, is a rising problem in the automotive market. According to the NICB, the reported number of incidents of VIN cloning in the United States has steadily risen since 2001, accounting for more than $36 million in fraudulent vehicle transactions.
"Basically what you're looking at is identity theft for vehicles," said Robert M. Bryant, President and Chief Executive Officer of NICB. "And, just as you would look to the specific, historic information on an individual to identify and verify their true identity, the same needs to be done for a vehicle."
NICB is now working with Experian Automotive to use its AutoCheck vehicle history reports, which pull from a National Vehicle Database of more than half a billion vehicles, to check thousands of suspect VINs to identify those most likely being used in VIN cloning scams. NICB then investigates the suspect VINs with law enforcement agencies to recover the stolen vehicles. AutoCheck vehicle history reports reveal factors like concurrent registrations in a vehicle's history that would signal a potential VIN cloning situation.
"Experian Automotive has the historic information and the expertise to use it to help our investigators and law enforcement quickly identify and recover these stolen vehicles that have false VINs," said Bryant. "Having this information is critical to conducting more effective investigations and protecting consumers from being taken in by this scam in the future."
When a VIN is verified as being cloned, AutoCheck will specifically flag the vehicle's history report with a cloned designation -- the first service of its kind in the industry. Additionally, Experian Automotive will work with individuals whose vehicle's VIN has been identified as cloned to remove the false vehicle history information from their vehicle history report. NICB will also provide MCO (Manufacturer Certificate of Origin) information and Vehicle Examination records which will be integrated into the AutoCheck report, providing manufacturer verification on a vehicle's true VIN, as well as specific information on the condition of stolen vehicles recovered by the NICB.
"Vehicle history reporting is continuing to prove itself as an invaluable resource for both education and protection," said Scott Waldron, President of Experian Automotive. "Our partnering with NICB, its investigators and law enforcement is a great example of the variety of ways that vehicle history
reporting helps consumers guard against purchasing a damaged or stolen vehicle, as well as keeps the identity of their own vehicles safe."
For more information on VIN cloning, please visit www.nicb.org/ . For more on AutoCheck vehicle history reports, please visit http://www.autocheck.com/.
About the National Insurance Crime Bureau
The National Insurance Crime Bureau is the nation's leading not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to preventing, detecting and defeating insurance fraud and vehicle theft through information analysis, investigations, training and public awareness.
Anyone with information concerning vehicle theft and insurance fraud can report it anonymously by calling toll-free 1-800-TEL-NICB (1-800-835-6422) or by visiting our web site www.nicb.org/.
About Experian Automotive
Experian Automotive, a business unit of Experian(R) Group Ltd., delivers information solutions to manufacturers, dealers, finance and insurance companies, and consumers. Experian helps automotive clients increase customer loyalty, target and win new business, and make better lending and vehicle purchase decisions. Its National Vehicle Database, housing more than 500 million vehicles, along with Experian's credit, consumer and business information assets, meets the industry's growing demand for an integrated information source. Experian's advanced decision support services help clients turn this information into improved business results. Experian technology supports several top automotive Web sites, including eBay Motors, Yahoo! Autos, CarsDirect.com, CarMax.com and NADAguides.com. For more information on Experian Automotive and its suite of solutions, visit our web site at www.experianautomotive.com/.
Source: Experian Automotive
CONTACT: Frank Scafidi of NICB, +1-916-979-7025, fscafidi@nicb.org ; or Christopher Fielder of Experian, +1-224-698-8628, christopher.fielder@experian.com
Web site: http://www.autocheck.com/
http://www.nicb.org/
http://www.experianautomotive.com/
