Rick Guzman, a finance director at the Friendly Ford dealership in Crosby, Texas was expecting a typical day at work when he showed up on February 4. A salesman walked out to meet a potential customer in the parking lot looking to trade in his Subaru BRZ when all hell broke loose.
“One of our sales guys went up, talked to the customer, you know, shook his hand,” Guzman told KHOU. “And then, right behind them came a bunch of undercover police officers.”
The suspect, who has yet to be identified, was approached by the officers with their guns drawn. He was brought to jail after investigators tied him to an elaborate VIN-swapping scam. Investigators suspect the Subaru he drove to the dealership was stolen, too.
What the heck is VIN-swapping?
In case you aren’t familiar, Houston’s Sgt. Eduardo Rivera says it’s an increasingly popular crime that involves swapping the VIN from a new car to a stolen car to stay under the radar. It’s also so a fake listing, often on social media and not from a dealership, can feel more legitimate.
If you’re casually browsing Facebook Marketplace and see a car listed for a price that seems too good to be true, it’s often because it is.
“They’re printing out fictitious VINs and just placing them over or replacing the VIN that came with that vehicle,” said Rivera.
The only real way to make sure the car isn’t stolen is to have the VIN checked to see that it matches the car it’s attached to.
Viewers have mixed feelings about the incident
One viewer said the vehicle’s computer will always store the correct VIN, and buyers can check the VIN themselves with a simple tool.
“What about the VIN in the computer’s software? Cheap code scanners and performance programmers can show you the VIN, too,” they wrote.
Others thought it was a little excessive to have their guns drawn at the suspect.
“Damn, was pointing a loaded firearm necessary?” they said.
Another noted how sad it was that used car buyers had to proceed with so much caution.
“Remember when if you could afford a car, you didn’t even have to investigate the VIN number or people?” they asked. “The only thing you had was a person meeting you on the car lot before you even got started, wanting to sell you a car.”
