This is how the ‘twin’ car scam works

The second-hand vehicle market does not stop growing. They don’t do it either the traps that lie in wait. Among all of them, there is one that stands out for its sophistication and the consequences it can have for those who fall for it: the twin car scam. And this fraud is not only limited to making those who fall for it lose money, but it can also leave them without a car, with an active debt and, in some cases, with criminal charges.

What exactly is a twin car. With the word “twin” one can imagine what it could be about. Basically it refers to a stolen vehicle which has been assigned the identity of another car completely legal. Criminals locate a vehicle in circulation (of the same model, color and year as the one they have stolen) and copy its chassis number, the VIN.

With that information, they create a false license plate, falsify the documentation and put the stolen car up for sale as if it were their legal twin. The result is a vehicle with a new identity that, in the eyes of any bona fide person who is only looking to buy a second-hand car, appears to be in order. In this way, the buyer, unknowingly, acquires a stolen car that has the same number as another one that circulates perfectly on the street.

Two cars with the same chassis number. The VIN, which is the 17-digit number that we see under the windshield, stamped on the chassis, or on the driver’s door frame, uniquely identifies each vehicle manufactured in the world. This number contains the manufacturer, the technical specifications, the year of production and is used to track the complete history of the car, from license plates and warranties to theft and claims to insurance companies.

As it could not be otherwise, its manipulation is expressly prohibited by law in all countries. In Spain, the Penal Code classifies the falsification of this type of document as a crime with penalties of up to six months in prison. The problem is that when cloning is done well, it is extremely difficult to detect with the naked eye.

How it operatesn the scammers. The sale of twin vehicles is usually carried out by organized networks that are responsible for the theft, counterfeiting and sale of the car. First they steal the vehicle, usually without an active alarm or tracker. Then they “cool it” (they hide it for a few days so that it does not appear on radars) while they look for an identical car to copy the VIN from. Then they create false documentation, They advertise at a striking price on online platforms and disappear as soon as they get paid.

According to Marco ArbanDirector of Business Development in Europe at CARFAX, “fraud in the used car market is increasingly complex and difficult to detect, often hidden behind seemingly normal behavior.”

Cases. The FBI document a case in Tampa, Florida, in which more than 1,000 cloned cars were sold to buyers spread across twenty states and several countries, with estimated losses of more than $27 million among consumers, insurers and other victims.

In Argentina, where the figure of the “twin car” has been established for years, the NGOs Defendamos Buenos Aires and Defendamos la República Argentina estimate that there are circulating more than 80,000 vehicles with modified documentation, and that approximately 80% are trucks, SUVs and pick-ups. In Europe, the phenomenon is growing as the second-hand market expands at a rapid pace, favored above all by the increase in the cost of new cars.

What can happen to someone who buys one. If authorities discover that the vehicle is stolen, they can confiscate it immediately. The insurer can cancel the policy upon detecting fraud. And the buyer could even inherit outstanding debts associated with the legitimate VIN that was cloned. But there’s more: the buyer could face charges of possession of stolen goods, even if they had no knowledge of the fraud.

And the owner of the car with the stolen identity does not come out unscathed either: he may receive traffic fines that do not correspond to him or, in extreme cases, be linked to criminal investigations for activities he has never committed. Many of these vehicles usually start out as scrap or total wrecks, which means that their safety systems (airbags, brakes, steering) may have been modified or assembled incorrectly, also increasing the risk of serious accidents.

Warning signs. The good news is that, with a little attention, there are signs that can give away a twin car before it is too late. The first thing to do is check the VIN in all the points where it appears on the vehicle: on the dashboard next to the windshield, on the driver’s door frame, in the engine compartment and on the documentation. If there are numbers with different fonts, new rivets, sanding marks, recent welds or repainted areas around the engraving, there may be tampering.

It is also a good idea to look at the price: if it is well below the market, if the seller is in a hurry to close without a contract, it is better to walk away.

What to do before closing any purchase. The most effective tool available to anyone in Spain is the DGT report. The General Directorate of Traffic offers several types of report on any vehicle registered in Spain: from a free one with basic data to a complete one, for about 9 euros, which includes the ITV history, the recorded mileage, the number of previous owners, possible charges or seizures and the legal status of the vehicle. If the VIN that appears in that report does not exactly match the one that appears on the car, there is a serious problem.

For vehicles with international history, services such as CARFAX or carVertical expand the query to databases from dozens of countries. And if you have a trusted mechanic on hand who can take a look, all the better.

Cover image | Ivan Kazlouskij

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