A woman was shocked to learn that a $40,000 car she bought for her retirement was actually stolen — three years after she purchased it.
Maril Bauter became a victim of a VIN cloning scam — when a fraudster steals the vehicle identification number (VIN) from a car and then puts it on a stolen car before selling it — in 2021, KIRO7 reported.
After finding a 2019 Toyota 4Runner on Facebook Marketplace in December 2021, Bauter reached out to the seller, who sent the VIN.
“She did her homework and checked both the VIN & the Carfax,” the outlet reported.
“It was clean, no accidents,” Bauter said. “It all matched. You know, everything matched up. The title, the VIN number, the name.”
She then flew to Portland, Oregon, to buy the SUV in a cash deal at a branch of her bank. Bauter even took the faked title to a licensing agency in Blaine, Washington, where no one pointed out anything wrong.
“Yeah, the system didn’t work like it was supposed to,” said Christine Anthony from the Department of Licensing.
Bauter was none the wiser for nearly three years until she tried to buy tabs in February, and a licensing agent directed her to a Washington State Patrol VIN inspection.
Police found that her Toyota was stolen from a Vancouver, Washington, dealership and that the VIN was stolen from a similar vehicle near Portland.
“Whoever did this went above and beyond what’s normally done in these situations to obtain that fraudulent title,” said Lt. Jason Hicks.
Police seized Bauter’s car.
“It was very shocking,” she said. “I had bought new tires and new rims, and, I mean, I was making it my forever car, and I just had to walk away.”
After going back and forth with Farmers Insurance for weeks, Bauter’s claim was finally accepted.
“Farmers finally paid my claim today. After all this — they said, ‘No, no, no’ — they finally came through,” she said.
KIRO7 warned readers to be wary of this scam, instructing potential car buyers to “make sure everything, including the year, matches the Carfax or other vehicle history report.”
