Fake Car Title Agent Arrested For Fraud

Here’s another example of how vehicle titles are ripe for fraud: anytime you have somebody who’s trying to do something that’s not quite legal, or a loophole or some kind of backdoor method, it’s going to come back and bite you.

The fraudulent title scam
Here’s a story about a clerk at a title agency that was arrested for processing $3 million of fraudulent titles. What she was doing was filing fake paperwork to get titles for vehicles that some of her partners in crime allegedly were getting for cars that they weren’t supposed to have. They were buying these cars without titles; they were getting these cars with no titles, and they were having this title scam to get them titles from the DMV official titles that were improper.

The Value of a Vehicle Title
And you know, getting a title for a vehicle, you know it’s a certificate; it’s a document, but it’s more than just a piece of paper; it’s representing the value of that vehicle, so even if you have a vehicle that’s worth $10,000, that title is like a $10,000 check. Whoever has it in their name owns that vehicle now, so if you can find a way to scam your way of getting a title, you now have a free car, and if it’s done improperly, eventually it’s going to catch up to you, and this is a perfectly good example.

The Consequences of the Scam
This scam allegedly went on for years. Um, this person now has 36 felony charges, a multi-million dollar scheme, dozens of stolen vehicles, and what’s going to happen is that all those titles will be revoked. Anyone else involved in the process is going to be prosecuted.

The Importance of Legal Title Acquisition
So make sure if you’re getting a title for a vehicle, you’re using a proper method of getting a title. You’re not doing something illegal, and if somebody else is doing the method for you, make sure you understand it. Make sure you know what’s being done and if it’s legal. A lot of methods of getting a title are illegal, and it’s going to eventually, um, bite you in the foot if it turns out that you got a title under those circumstances.

Final Advice
So when it happens, people are being prosecuted for it. Make sure you’re aware of how your title’s being obtained, and if it’s your car, you deserve to have a title. There’s a way to do it. It might take a little more work to do it the right way, but you’re not going to run into legal or financial problems down the road.

How To: Certificate of Destruction Junk Title Problems

Clients often find themselves puzzled by the presence of a Certificate of Destruction (CoD) on vehicles purchased from various platforms. Let’s delve into the specifics of what a COD entails and why it could potentially lead to complications for buyers.

The Role of Insurance Companies
Insurance companies issue CODs for vehicles they’ve paid out claims on, be it due to collisions, floods, thefts, or other incidents. This designation serves a legal purpose, relieving the insurer of liability and preventing the vehicle from being put back on the road.

National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS)
The VIN of a vehicle with a COD is registered in the NMVTIS, a national database accessible to all DMVs across the US and its territories. This ensures that the vehicle’s status as non-reparable is recognized nationwide.

Legal Implications and Insurance Industry Trends
Insurance companies shifted to CoDs to mitigate potential lawsuits stemming from salvaged vehicles returning to the road. This measure protects them from liability claims related to accidents or malfunctions.

Options for Owners of CoD Vehicles: Despite the limitations imposed by a COD, owners have a few avenues to explore:

• Reconstruction: transforming the vehicle into an assembled vehicle or a kit car.
• Sale in Unrestricted Jurisdictions: Selling the vehicle in areas where non-reparable titles are recognized.
• Component Usage: Utilizing the vehicle’s major components in eligible VIN-numbered vehicles.

Legal Pitfalls to Avoid
Attempting to alter the VIN or engage in title washing are serious offenses with legal ramifications. It’s crucial to refrain from such activities to prevent legal trouble down the line.

Seeking professional assistance
For a comprehensive analysis of your specific vehicle’s situation, consider scheduling a consultation with a certified title agent. This allows for a tailored assessment of your options and potential pathways forward.

Conclusion
Navigating the complexities of CoD vehicles requires careful consideration of their legal implications and available alternatives. By understanding the nuances of CoDs and seeking professional guidance, owners can make informed decisions regarding their vehicles’ futures.

Import Vehicle Titles Revoked Kei Truck Drama

Okay, here we go again with these Japanese Kai mini trucks, and there’s a lot of controversy and misunderstandings about them, but even beyond these trucks, even if you’re looking at an import vehicle, an older vehicle, or a gray market vehicle, some of the rules and procedures work the same way, so even if you’re not looking at one of these mini trucks, you want to know how these rules work.

The Drama with Importing Vehicles
So here is the drama with these: there is a standing rule with the portation of vehicles that if a vehicle’s older than 25 years old, it is exempt from certain customs regulations. The EPA has regulations right so you can get it through customs and import the truck, which makes it legal to import. What a lot of people don’t realize is that just because you can import, it doesn’t mean that you’re going to be allowed to drive, register, or title it; it just means the federal government will let you bring it through the port. These trucks are designed in Japan to be used mostly for farm work and, uh, rural work, not to be used on major highways.

State Regulations and Issues
Here’s what’s happening in many states:. Many states are realizing that these vehicles do not conform to standards for road use, so even states that allowed them for a while are now pulling the titles and registrations. This example comes from R.I., where they have sent out notices to owners of these vehicles. Even if you already had it titled and registered, you have to cancel it and bring it back. State of Main did it a couple years ago. Many other states are doing the same thing. So if you’re looking to buy one of these, even if your state currently allows it, be aware that at some point they may undo it. It’s technically a state-by-state issue.

Federal Influence
However, the federal government is also influencing this because they have a stake in road and highway use. They give millions of dollars in highway funds and, uh, road district fulfillment to various jurisdictions, and if they find out that a state or a county is allowing unsafe vehicles on the road, they can pull back their highway money, and you might say, Well, it’s not unsafe. Well, according to the federal government, it doesn’t meet the standards of a road use vehicle.

Use and Specifications of Mini Trucks
and this also applies to other types of import vehicles. According to the article, the mini trucks are generally used for things like farmwork; they weigh 1,500 lb., that’s very light, can only reach speeds of 75, and that’s on a good day downhill with a tailwind.

DMV Stance on Mini Trucks
Here’s the big issue: the DMV says these Kai vehicles were never manufactured in compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. They’re allowed to be imported if they’re more than 25 years old, but whether they’re allowed on public highways is up to individual states. Right now, it may be up to the state, but the state, when they make their rules go by federal guidelines, trucks previously registered with the DMV for years, and now they’re have to turn in the registrations and keep the vehicles off the road.

Comparison to Other Antique Vehicles
Other antique vehicles are grandfathered because they met our safety standards at the time they were manufactured. That’s the key. You can buy a 194 Ford and it doesn’t meet the current regulations, but it did meet the regulations in 1940. If one of these vehicles, let’s say, is a 1990, it doesn’t meet the standards now, but it didn’t meet the standards in 1990 either, so that’s where the gray area comes in.

Future of Kai Vehicles
Look, we talked to DMV commissioner departments all over the country many times a year. In reality, it’s likely that within the next 3 to 5 years, all these vehicles are going to be withdrawn from eligibility, and it’s not going to be possible to title or register these vehicles, and even if you have one, you have to give it back.

Other import vehicles
where this also comes into play is if you purchase another import vehicle we had a uh a client that purchased an opal from Europe an opal sold sold cars in the US but this was one that was manufactured for the European market in I believe the late ’70s early 80s and that particular European car did not meet the standards for the US market at that time so in order to get it titled or registered this owner would have had to reconfigure it and meet meet the standards some of those standards are impossible to meet if the vehicle’s too narrow or it doesn’t have the right size frame or too light so be aware that when you’re purchasing a vehicle that was not originally manufactured for the US market you have to be cautious that you may either initially or down the road not be able to retain a title or registration for it.

First Step to Getting Electronic Car Titles

Introduction to Electronic Titles and Signatures
Well, here’s the first batch of good news from the long process of getting electronic titles and even electronic signatures. Our Coalition of title professionals, called ESTART, had one of their first submissions to a government agency, and this is for the state of Massachusetts.

Massachusetts Registry Initiative
Their registry is considering putting electronic titles and signatures on documents. This first submission from the Coalition included titles from Desa Auto Auctions, Carvana, and other automotive industries. This is support for electronic signature and titling enhancements in Massachusetts.

Collaboration with RMV
This effort is done through their RMV (Registry of Motor Vehicles) and aims to offer vehicles for sale while awaiting a certificate of title and permit authorization to facilitate additional electronic transfers.

Progress in Other States
We have some other initiatives in the works in the state of New York, including electronic liens. Follow along on this channel for updates on the progress of getting to electronic titles and getting rid of the paper bureaucracy.

Benefits of Electronic Titles
Titles getting lost, signatures getting whited out—all these difficulties make titles more bureaucratic. This is the biggest reason many clients have to deal with title problems.

Conclusion
Follow along for updates. It may take a year or two to get some of this through the works, but we’re working very hard to make titling easy for you as a consumer, dealership, auction, or lender. This way, you don’t have to face going to the DMV, dealing with paperwork, or dealing with forms. It can all be done electronically, without the hassle of fighting through all kinds of runaround from your Department of Motor Vehicles.

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Fake VIN Numbers Put On Vehicles

The Importance of VIN Verification
Here’s another way that scammers can sell you a bad vehicle, even if you do your due diligence and check out the VIN number. But it’s also a reason why DMVs sometimes require Vin verifications or inspections—it’s to protect you, not just to give you a hard time.

A Case in Texas
Here’s a case where a person in Texas purchased a vehicle. They checked out the VIN number, ran a background check, did a VIN search and VIN history report, and everything looked okay. But as they found out, the VIN number they were looking at wasn’t the real VIN number for the vehicle. There was a replacement VIN number that was improperly put over the real VIN number.

Multiple VIN locations
On a vehicle, there are at least eight or nine VIN numbers. There’s one on the cow on the dashboard, many on the frame, some hidden, some on the doorpost, some on the inside of the B pillar, etc. They’re all supposed to match. Many times, people just look at the one on the cowl by the dash, but there’s other VIN numbers. A person trying to conceal a vehicle will normally only change the one on the dash because that’s what’s looked at. There’s even some that are hidden that nobody knows about except for police officers. If a car’s stolen and somebody hides all the visible ones, they know where to look to find the hidden ones.

Verifying the VIN number
The OBD plugin for the diagnosis of a vehicle also shows the VIN number, so you want to check that to make sure the computer matches. Otherwise, you could buy a vehicle that you think has a certain VIN number, and really, it’s a stolen car, or even if it’s not stolen, it could be one that’s salvage or parts only or for export only, which means you can’t title it.

Legal Implications of VIN Tampering
Remember, it’s illegal to move VIN numbers from one vehicle to another. So, if you have a vehicle for which, for some reason, the VIN number is no good because it’s salvage or parts only, don’t think you can just get another VIN number and slap it on there. There are very serious federal statutes about VIN tampering that make that a big no-no.

Using Consumer Resources
If you have questions about how to make sure your vehicle has a proper VIN or if the history of that vehicle is eligible for a title, make sure you use our website as a free consumer resource. We’d be glad to provide help and assistance to improve your odds of getting the right kind of vehicle.

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