Arkansas DFA sounds warning about stolen car VIN scam

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. –The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration is warning about a potential scam when a vehicle is priced way below market by a private seller.

The DFA reports that the agency is seeing an uptick in stolen vehicles sold online by a private seller for way below the typical market price. Shortly after purchase, the buyer finds that the new ride is stolen and has a fake VIN.

A DFA official explained that scammers find a vehicle like a stolen vehicle they are trying to sell. They then make a sticker using the clean vehicle's VIN and apply it to the stolen car, advertising it on social media or a message board as a cash-only below-market deal by a private seller.

A buyer makes a cash purchase thinking they have just gotten a great deal on a car with a VIN showing a legitimate problem-free history, only to find out they got scammed.

Officials said that those currently running this scam favor late-model pickup trucks.

"If it is too good to be true, it usually is," a DFA spokesperson said as a final red flag.

A stolen vehicle must be turned over to the insurance company or original owner, and buyers lose the money they spent.

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