Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Bogus car hauler stealing luxury autos from dealers in several states?]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/06/bogus-car-hauler-stealing-luxury-autos-from-dealers-in-several-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/06/bogus-car-hauler-stealing-luxury-autos-from-dealers-in-several-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/06/bogus-car-hauler-stealing-luxury-autos-from-dealers-in-several-s/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Hauler

Luxury cars are nice. Most people would consider some kind of sacrifice to own one, while others plant their behinds in Corinthian Leather through ill-gotten gains. When something is desirable, there's no end to the scheming. The latest tactic for driving luxe without earning it is pretty blatant: just show up and take it! Automotive News reports that the FBI is currently looking into an operation that's using the identity of Atlas Towing and Recovery of Illinois, a real, legitimate business, to take luxury vehicles right out from under the noses of dealerships.

The false haulers are apparently showing up at dealers and picking up cars using Atlas Towing's credentials, causing the National Auto Auction Association to send out a warning. Over the summer, Manheim Auto Auctions also got hit with a fake car hauler, and that operation is believed to be connected to the more recent activity. Dealers have been warned to notify the authorities if anyone posing as Atlas Towing and Recovery comes calling and and tries to pick up vehicles. It is pretty slick, though, showing up with a truck and an air of official-ness. Points for cleverness, but it's likely not clever enough to avoid capture eventually.

[Source: Automotive News - sub req, | Image: BringATrailer]

Bogus car hauler stealing luxury autos from dealers in several states? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 06 Dec 2009 09:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Federal Bureau of Investigations has shut down a car theft ring operating in the U.S. for more than 20 years, causing in excess of $25 million in losses to owners and banks. According to CNN, the ring would clone cars, swiping the legal identity of one car - VIN numbers, tags, stickers -- and applying it to another, stolen car. The cloned car would then be sold to a dealer or consumer, and the countdown would begin: Eventually, most would be discovered as stolen property and confiscated, but the buyer would remain on the hook for the money owed.

For example, a man in Florida bought a Ford F-350 Super Duty for $27,000 last year from a used car dealer. Nine months later, it was tracked down and confiscated, but the bank has told the owner that he's still on the hook for the loan for a vehicle he no longer has.

Although the FBI admonishes, "Folks should be educated enough so that they don't buy a car from a stranger, on the street, or in a back alley somewhere," that might be a bit much, and the Super Duty owner bought the car at a used car lot. All kinds of private and public buyers have been taken, so do all of the research you can, and definitely don't buy your car in a back alley somewhere - the FBI got that much right! Hot tip, Jan.

Have you ever suffered an automobile-related theft? Take our poll after the jump!

[Source: CNN]

Continue reading REPORT: FBI busts up $25M car cloning ring

REPORT: FBI busts up $25M car cloning ring originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Mar 2009 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>auto theftAutoTheftcar buyingcar theftCarBuyingCarTheftFBIgovermentlegalscamstolenstolen carStolenCartheftWed, 25 Mar 2009 16:56:00 EST<![CDATA[Cars being stolen in Scotland and returned before morning]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/08/cars-being-stolen-in-scotland-and-returned-before-morning/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/08/cars-being-stolen-in-scotland-and-returned-before-morning/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/08/cars-being-stolen-in-scotland-and-returned-before-morning/#commentsFiled under:

If you car comes up missing here in the U.S., you probably don't want it back once the thieves are done with it. Over in Scotland, they do things differently, even illegal things. Police say someone in southeast Scotland's Borders area is sneaking into houses, taking car keys and going for rides in the homeowners' cars. In this country, that'd be the end of it until the police found your Malibu up on cinder blocks in a bad neighborhood. The Scottish twist, however, is that the next morning all these cars are right where they were parked the day before. The burglar has struck at least eight times, and so far, only one car has ended up crashed.

The only things that tip people their car has been stolen are finding their keys in strange places and discovering more miles on their odometers. Sometimes lots of miles. Until the thief is nabbed, we recommend the Scottish keep their tanks empty and their keys on the nightstand.

[Source: BBC via PistonHeads]

Cars being stolen in Scotland and returned before morning originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Feb 2008 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Somewhere in a metropolis near you, an unassuming vehicle sits and waits. The vehicle is a bait car, left by the police, in a large-scale effort to halt the rise of would-be criminals in your area. One city instituting such a policy is Minneapolis and by most accounts, it's a success.

The vehicles are left in urban areas that are frequently the scene of vehicle break-ins and thefts. The car itself is a rolling sound stage, filled with both video and audio surveillance. Along with recording all the action inside and outside the vehicle, they've equipped their decoy with a GPS unit, a remote engine-kill switch and a host of other electronics to keep tabs on the location and condition of the their vehicle.

Eventually, someone yields to the temptation and find themselves in the back of a squad car. Not quite the ride they were hoping to score.

The focus on stolen vehicles is at the urging of not only the public, but also the insurance industry. Some figures suggest that the average motorist pays a premium upwards of $200-300 per year, to cover the cost of break-ins to themselves and other drivers. Since approximately one-third of all auto insurance claims are the result of theft, it's a problem that almost all drivers have a stake in and proactive programs like this in Minneapolis may be the beginning of a sea change in certain areas.

[Source: TechNewsWorld]

Building a better mousetrap: Hi-tech cars deter thieves originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Sep 2006 18:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>auto theftAutoTheftbreak inBreakInvehicle breakinVehicleBreakinTue, 05 Sep 2006 18:35:00 EST<![CDATA[Indian authorities shut down Hardest Working Man in Auto Smuggling]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/08/indian-authorities-shut-down-hardest-working-man-in-auto-smuggli/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/08/indian-authorities-shut-down-hardest-working-man-in-auto-smuggli/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/08/indian-authorities-shut-down-hardest-working-man-in-auto-smuggli/#commentsFiled under:

In India, car smugglers are apparently a good deal more patient than we can ever recall hearing of in the States. In a case that's less 'Gone in Sixty Seconds' and more 'Gone in Sixty Hours', a man named Ramadoss made it his m.o. to purchase vehicles in Malaysia and Singapore, then dismantle them piece by piece, shipping them to his operation in Chennai (formerly Madras), where he would reassemble them. Doing so saved Ramadoss a mint on customs charges, as he had to pay just 20-25 percent (versus a stifling 118 percent tax). Of course, a bit of elbow grease was required to make money - Ramadoss and his crew sliced up everything, including chassis and bodies using laser cutters, only to re-weld them together at his garages in Chennai for sale to unsuspecting customers.

A police raid of the man's all-too-literal chop-shop turned up 17 vehicles, including everything from a MINI Cooper to a Mitsubishi GTO (read: '3000GT') and an unspecified Mercedes-Benz.

No word yet on what fate will befall the Hardest Working Man in Auto Smuggling, but he has admitted to his crimes and made some financial reparations.

[Source: Mumbai Mirror]

Indian authorities shut down Hardest Working Man in Auto Smuggling originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Jun 2006 15:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3000GTauto theftAutoTheftcar theftCarTheftchennaiMercedesMINI CooperMiniCooperMitsubishi GTOMitsubishiGtomumbaismugglingThu, 08 Jun 2006 15:06:00 EST<![CDATA[U.S. auto theft declines, heads west]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/10/u-s-auto-theft-declines-heads-west/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/10/u-s-auto-theft-declines-heads-west/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/10/u-s-auto-theft-declines-heads-west/#commentsFiled under:

The National Insurance Crime Bureau had good news and bad news for U.S. car owners Tuesday - the good news is that theft rates were down 2.1 percent in the first half of 2005 compared to 2004, marking the second straight year of theft decline. The bad news? If you live in the West, you're in car thief heaven.

In 2005, the ten metropolitan areas with the worst auto theft records were west of the Rockies, with California laying claim to six of the top ten. Here's the full list:
   1. Modesto, CA
   2. Las Vegas/Paradise, NV
   3. Stockton, CA
   4. Phoenix/Mesa/Scottsdale, AZ
   5. Visalia/Porterville, CA
   6. Seattle/Tacoma/Bellevue, WA
   7. Sacramento/Arden-Arcade/Roseville, CA
   8. San Diego/Carlsbad/San Marcos, CA
   9. Fresno, CA
  10. Yakima, WA

As you might expect, the NICB has recommendations to help you hang on to your ride, including the use of warning and immobilizing devices. You can read about their "layered approach" to protection here.

If your city didn't make the top ten, you can find out  where it ranks and how many vehicles were boosted last year by checking the NICB web site, here.

U.S. auto theft declines, heads west originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 10 May 2006 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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