CARFAX launches new tool to help dealerships spot stolen cars, fraud

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 23, 2025 2:45 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 hours ago

CARFAX has launched a caller instrumentality that the institution says volition let car dealerships to tally conveyance recognition numbers (VIN) to cheque for imaginable fraud oregon theft.

It's called VIN Fraud Check, the conveyance past study concern says, and it lets dealers spot if a conveyance has been reported stolen successful North America, arsenic good arsenic if its VIN indicates imaginable fraud.

"VIN Fraud Check is the latest successful our suite of data-driven solutions aimed astatine protecting Canadians and ensuring safer conveyance transactions," said Shawn Vording, president of CARFAX Canada, successful a quality release. 

"By moving intimately with conveyance dealers, section police, and the provincial government, we're equipping Canadian dealers with the tools they request to observe and debar imaginable VIN fraud." 

Experts accidental VINs connected legally exported vehicles are highly sought aft by criminals, who clone the unsocial serial fig — typically recovered successful respective locations, including the dashboard — and enactment it connected a stolen conveyance successful Canada, besides known arsenic re-VINing. Previously, with nary mode for dealers, buyers oregon provincial ministries to verify if a conveyance has been exported, immoderate well-disguised stolen vehicles person been slipping done the cracks undetected. 

Experts accidental determination are 3 main uses for stolen vehicles. Some are illegally exported, others are taken isolated and utilized for parts and the remainder are re-VINed.

CARFAX says its caller strategy volition let dealers to tally a VIN to cheque for imaginable clones, a fake VIN, oregon for a stolen vehicle.

Police and governments crossed the state person been moving to ace down connected car theft, which has ballooned successful caller years. Between 2021 and 2023, it accrued by adjacent to a third, reaching a precocious of 70,475 incidents, according to statistic from the Équité Association. Policing and argumentation efforts look to beryllium making a difference, with car thefts down 18.6 per cent betwixt 2023 and 2024.

"Auto theft remains a superior transgression successful Halton portion and beyond. It is mostly driven by organized transgression groups that halt astatine thing to evade constabulary detection, including VIN cloning to resell stolen vehicles for nett to substance further transgression activities," said Halton constabulary Deputy Chief of Regional Operations Jeff Hill, in a statement.

"Technologies similar VIN Fraud Check are instrumental successful helping constabulary agencies and dealers to place vehicles being sold fraudulently, removing them from the pipeline and keeping Canadians safe."