More than likely, one of the last things on anyone’s mind as they’re buying a used car is whether or not the vehicle is stolen. Unfortunately, cars with a shady past get bought and sold in this country every day. Take this story from the National Insurance Crime Bureau. According to a press release issued by the bureau, a Cadillac Escalade was stolen from Coral Gables, Florida. The thieves then manufactured a new VIN plate to obtain a clean title and sold the vehicle to an unsuspecting buyer all the way in Orange, California.

The buyer specializes in converting vehicles into limousines for fleet service, and set about converting his new, high-dollar SUV into a stretch limousine. Once the work was complete, the limo-builder sold the vehicle to a Texas business man for the princely sum of $125,000. When the buyer went to obtain a new Texas title for the truck, he was alerted to the fact that Cadillac had never produced a vehicle with that VIN, and the authorities seized the vehicle. Now the buyer and the limo builder are out a truck and their money. The authorities are currently attempting to locate the offending thieves and con artists.

The NICB urges buyers looking to pick up a used vehicle to check the VIN against the bureau’s free database. Doing so could alert you to a possible stolen vehicle, saving you thousands. [Source: NICB]

Tags: Fraud, Insruance, National Insurance Crime Bureau, NICB, Stolen Car, Used Car