While Colorado auto theft numbers remain high, law enforcement officials talk recovery
Today Jeff Henderson is back behind the wheel of his Chevy Silverado but for months the truck was in the hands of thieves.
"It was found in Albuquerque New Mexico, apparently somebody tried to sell it," he said.
Henderson says they did that by trying to hide the vehicle's VIN.
"They pried the VIN plate off and off of the doors," he said.
He's among the thousands who have their vehicles recovered every year.
Commander John Pickard head of Colorado's Metropolitan Auto Theft Task Force says it's one area where we've seen a lot of success.
"Quite a few are recovered and it's because they use them for other crimes and once, they are done they dump them," he said.
According to data from the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority, in the first quarter of 2023, roughly 82% of stolen vehicles have been found. If you exclude motorcycles and trailers, that number which he says are harder to find, that number jumps to more than 90%.
"Some of them are just trashed and some are damaged some are repairable and some aren't," Pickard said.
They believe the rest, are likely stripped for parts, shipped out of the country, or being sold often using a cloned VIN.
"What they'll do is find a good vehicle ID off of a wrecked or damaged vehicle they'll take it and they'll replace it on a vehicle that's been stolen," he said.
While they're often listed through online marketplaces. Like Henderson, they're also showing up in other states.
CBS News Colorado found stolen cars from Colorado being sold on car lots as far away as Florida.
"Especially when it comes to vin cloning that can lead the person who bought the car into some challenges," Roseann Freitas with the Better Business Bureau said.
Freitas says consumers can protect themselves by starting by knowing who they're buying from.
"Put the companies name in a Google bar, type complaints, reviews, scams and see what pops up," she said.
For Henderson after getting the truck back getting his VIN verified meant more time and more money leaving him rethinking how he protects his vehicle
"Obviously I got to get a better alarm system," he said.
