Vehicle Identification Numbers, or VINs, are 17-digit codes that have been around in one form or another since 1954. At that time, manufacturers of automobiles in the USA needed a way to identify their vehicles.
Things have changed through several revisions and a lot of industry and government collaboration.
What do you need to fake a VIN number? How can you protect yourself from fake VIN numbers? Keep reading to find out.
What Makes Up a VIN?
VIN codes are complex. The 17-digit VIN code includes information on:
- Where the vehicle manufacture takes place
- Which plant made the vehicle
- Who the manufacturer was
- The engine size and type
- Vehicle brand
- Security code
- Vehicle model year
- The specific serial number of the vehicle
The last part of the code, the serial number, is always made up of six digits, running from zero through nine.
From time to time, meanings of different parts of the VIN code change, switch or are expanded. For example, the VINs previous to 2010 cover the years from 1980 to 2009. In 2008, an expanded revision of VIN regulations was able to extend that to 60 years by making subtle adjustments.
You can find VINs in several locations on the car and in your paperwork. You can often find it:
- On service and maintenance records
- In your insurance policy
- On your vehicle title
- Inside the vehicle's computer
- On the dashboard VIN plate under the driver's side of the windshield
- Driver's side A-pillar door sill
- The inside face of the driver's side door
- Under the hood near the front of the engine block
- On the engine firewall
- On the car frame near the windshield washer fluid reservoir
- Inside the rear wheel well, above the tire
- Under the spare tire in the trunk
It's also found in other places that are structurally important and not often replaced, such as axles.
To Fake a VIN Number Isn't Hard
All of the above information means that making a completely new VIN isn't hard. Not that it's easy to tell without a VIN decoder.
All a thief needs to do is take their time and make the VIN accurate-looking enough. After that, they manufacture new VIN plates with the fake VIN and replace them on the vehicle.
To completely fake a VIN number, though, you'll need access to state, federal, and manufacturer databases. This is because if you go to register your fake VIN to get a license plate, it'll flag as missing or duplicated in the system.
It's getting harder since 2009 to "double-register" someone who stole or cloned a VIN, but not impossible. This is because now states are linking their registries together on the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System, or NMVTIS.
You can also check your VIN vehicle history in individual states.
Checking Your VIN Is Essential
The car business is extremely profitable, and car dealers frequently use fraudulent techniques to maximize their income. Falsifying mileage or registration documents are examples of this. Even more aggressive techniques, such as selling stolen cars, may be used by the most infamous merchants. These methods can undoubtedly make a scammer wealthy at the expense of clients.
It's much easier to use an existing, stolen VIN than to make one out of thin air. Using VIN cloning on stolen vehicles is more popular than most people realize.
EpicVIN is trying to fight back by helping to inform you and give you the tools you need. Check out our free comprehensive vehicle sample report today!
Frequently Asked Questions
Both yes and no. A vehicle identification number is one-of-a-kind and exclusive to a single vehicle. However, as technology progresses, car cloning is becoming more popular among criminals. Criminals select an exact match for a stolen car – the same make, model, and color – and imitate the original vehicle's identity.
A vehicle identification number is more than a string of numbers. It can be divided into sections, each of which represents different aspects of the vehicle. You can also use the VIN to look up the history of any vehicle. As a result, it's hard to fake a VIN.
Don't forget to double-check your details while buying a car. Get a history report and double-check that the VIN number on the car's documents, bodywork, and history record are all the same.
