News

Two Men Charged in High-End Auto Sublease Scam

DMV Investigator conducted year-long investigation Los Angeles, CA – March 18, 2019 – The names change, but the games stays the same. Coming from LA County, the nation’s hotbed of auto loan fraud, is yet another massive auto subleasing scam. This one was brought down by The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, who announced that two men have been charged with defrauding a dozen victims out of nearly $4 million…

Synthetic Identity Fraud Rockets Up in Auto Lending

Auto Lenders beware. Borrowers using false Social Security Numbers and so-called Credit Privacy Numbers (CPN’s) to apply for auto loans is on the rise and wreaking more havoc than ever. Borrowers use false social security numbers to establish new credit profiles to disguise their true identities so that they can qualify for loans that they otherwise would not be able to. Fraudsters are using these Frankenstein identities to purchase…

New UK Plant Theft Police Taskforce

The Construction Equipment Association (CEA) has said that it is looking forward to the creation of a new national police resource, to combat construction equipment theft in the UK. The CEA said the formation of a new police resource would complement the work of the Combined Industries Theft Solutions group (CITS) and the CESAR Network – the official industry plant marking and registration scheme designed to combat equipment…

Quads and horse boxes top thieves’ list as rural crime hits £2.8m in Northern Ireland

RURAL crime cost Northern Ireland £2.8 million last year, a rise of 3.9 per cent on 2017, according to insurer NFU Mutual. It says quads, livestock, trailers and horse boxes have topped thieves' wish list across the north. And in the UK as a whole, rural crime cost £50 million, an increase of 12 per cent on the previous year and the highest overall cost in seven years. Martin Malone, a NFU Mutual regional manager in Northern…

These 20 vehicles are the most stolen new cars in the U.S.

America's love affair with horsepower and trucks apparently includes illicit activity.  Powerful cars like the Dodge Charger and pickups like the Chevrolet Silverado are among the most-stolen new vehicles in the U.S., according to a new study by the Highway Loss Data Institute. (HLDI). See the HLDI's media…

July and August are Peak Months for ATV Thefts

DES PLAINES, Ill., July 30, 2019 — A recent report produced by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) reveals that the end of the summer is when we see more all-terrain vehicle thefts. In fact, 19 percent of the total thefts happen in July and August based on theft data contained in the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.    However, overall the report—which…

Microdots in vehicles to soon become reality in India

Last week, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways introduced a draft of proposed amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 in the context of microdots. This notification seeks to add the following sub-rule in the aforementioned Act: "The motor vehicles and their parts, components, assemblies, sub-assemblies etc. if affixed with microdot identifiers by the manufacturers shall comply with the requirements stipulated in standard AIS…

Penang car theft syndicate using electronics technology busted

GEORGE TOWN, MALAYSIA: Penang police have busted a vehicle theft syndicate using electronics technology to steal the vehicles, with the recent arrest of six men including the syndicate’s mastermind known as Ah Heng. Its Criminal Investigation Department chief, Datuk Zainol Samah today said six luxury vehicles valued at about RM530,000 that were reported stolen, were found by a police special team set up to track down the syndicate,…

Nissan pickup replaces the Tsuru as Mexico’s most-stolen vehicle

After a 10-year run of having the distinction of being Mexico’s most-stolen vehicle, the Nissan Tsuru has had to take a back seat to the brand’s NP300 pickup, according to the Association of Mexican Insurance Companies (AMIS). Thieves stole 5,554 NP300s and 5,260 Tsurus in the 12-month period ending June 30.   Nissan NP300                            …

Auto theft in the age of cybersecurity

In the days of “American Graffiti,” thieves could steal a car by using a Slim Jim to open the door, then touching the ignition wires together. With the move to electronic key fobs and computers, theft dropped dramatically. But the thieves have caught up – and with keyless ignitions it’s a simple matter for a tech-savvy thief to block the door lock signal or hack a vehicle's key fob. This new technology is dangerous…