MIAMI, June 24, 2005
New Twist On Car Theft: Cloning
Scam Artists Who Steal Cars Without Actually Taking Them
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Play CBS Video Video Cloned Cars Take The Streets You know your car hasn't been stolen, but has it been "cloned?" Jim Acosta looks at a new trick auto thieves are using to get stolen vehicles on the road, under police radar.
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Geraldo Diaza bought a "cloned" car. (CBS)
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Special Report Consumer Alert! Don't get taken! Check out our special coverage section. Know of a scam that needs investigating? Tell us about it! scams@cbsnews.com
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Photo Essay Top Cars Which vehicles rank highest in customer satisfaction according to Consumer Reports?
"I received a certified letter from a towing company in Miami," says Mari Skelston.
Thieves used their pickup's VIN to clone a stolen truck, which got into an accident.
The Skelstons had no idea, until they received the bill to tow the wrecked clone.
Mari Skelston says it feels like identity theft.
"I mean if it was involved in an accident, isn't it identity theft?" she asks. "To me it does."
As for Diaza's cloned SUV, all he could do was watch as police hauled it away.
"If he bought it off the side of the road or from a friend, he's not going to get his money back, probably," says one Miami detective.
Diaza learned a new rule of the road: The thousands he paid for a clone only bought him a license plate.
© MMV, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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