VIN cloning, or car cloning, is the practice of using the vehicle identification number from a legally registered car to disguise the identity of a stolen or salvaged vehicle. It involves replacing the serial plate of a stolen or salvage-repaired vehicle with a plate carrying the number of a validly registered vehicle of similar make, model, and year from another state, province, or country.
Facts
Elements of OffenseReplacing the serial plate of a stolen or salvage repaired vehicle with a plate containing the number of a validly registered vehicle of similar make, model and year from another state, province or country. 1 Notable ExampleA case in Tampa, Florida reported by the FBI in which more than 1,000 cloned cars were sold to buyers in twenty states and several countries, with estimated losses of more than $27 million to consumers, auto insurers, and other victims. 1 Jurisdiction VariationUnited Kingdom: the term car cloning covers both full vehicle identity cloning (VIN cloning) and the copying of number plates without altering the vehicle's underlying identity; the practice has also been reported in Canada, the United States and Australia. 1 Classification
Offense GradeMinor or Summary Offense 1 Connections
In the Other Atlases
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Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. VIN Cloning (Wikipedia)
WikipediaWikipedia, lead section
The procedure involves replacing the serial plate of a stolen or salvage repaired vehicle with a plate containing the number of a validly registered vehicle of similar make, model and year from another state, province or country.
Lead section, first paragraph, second sentence
The procedure involves replacing the serial plate of a stolen or salvage repaired vehicle with a plate containing the number of a validly registered vehicle of similar make, model and year from another state, province or country.
Lead section, third paragraph
reporting one case in Tampa, Florida, in which more than 1,000 cloned cars were sold to buyers in twenty states and several countries, with estimated losses of more than $27 million to consumers, auto insurers, and other victims.
United Kingdom section, first paragraph
In the United Kingdom, the term "car cloning" is frequently used to refer to both full vehicle identity cloning (VIN cloning) and the copying of number plates without altering the vehicle's underlying identity.
View the Source Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School: 18 U.S. Code § 511 - Altering or removing motor vehicle identification numbers
Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law SchoolIn Group: Vehicle Theft and Vehicle Identity Crime, Statute textQuote, In Group: Vehicle Theft and Vehicle Identity Crime, Statute text
knowingly removes, obliterates, tampers with , or alters an identification number for a motor vehicle or motor vehicle part;
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