Released: November 08, 2007
Free ‘VINCheck’ for unrecovered stolen vehicles
Source: National Insurance Crime Bureau
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) is launching a free service to help inform car buyers that the vehicle they want to purchase may be stolen.
Over one million vehicles have been stolen annually in the United States since 1986. With an annual average recovery rate of just 63 percent, several million vehicles remain unaccounted for and could possibly end up being purchased by unsuspecting consumers.
To help prevent innocent people from buying a stolen vehicle and to help recover stolen vehicles that may enter the commerce stream in the future, NICB offers the nation’s first Unrecovered Stolen Vehicle Database as a free service to the public.
Anyone anywhere can now run a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) through this database and determine if it has been reported stolen by one of NICB’s over 1,000 member insurance companies.
To check a vehicle simply visit the NICB web site (www.nicb.org) and follow the on-screen directions for the VINCheck search.
In recent months, NICB Special Agents have identified numerous stolen vehicles that were in the process of being sold by auto dealers or restored by collectors. These examples demonstrate how even car-savvy people can be duped into unknowingly buying a stolen vehicle. If it happens to experts, then the risks are even greater for ordinary consumers.
The NICB’s member companies have also provided their Hurricane Katrina-related auto claims information to create the flood vehicle database, which now contain more than 300,000 vehicle and boat records to give prospective buyers critical information to prevent the fraudulent sale of potentially flood-damaged vehicles.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing, detecting and defeating insurance fraud and vehicle theft through information analysis, investigations, training and public awareness. Information concerning auto theft and insurance fraud can be reported anonymously to 800-TEL-NICB (800-835-6422) or by visiting the NICB web site.