CARFAX Canada has launched a new consumer tool known as Vehicle Monitoring for Canadian consumers to help in the fight against VIN fraud and vehicle theft.
The tool builds on the company’s recent launch of the VIN Fraud Check tool for dealers, and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) export data being shared with CARFAX Canada. Its Vehicle Monitoring program is subscription-based and designed to provide Canadian vehicle owners with early detection of potential VIN fraud, safety issues, and other important details about their vehicle.
“Unfortunately, we hear this story from Canadians too often, they don’t find out their vehicle’s VIN has been cloned until it’s too late — usually when they try to trade it in or sell it,” said Shawn Vording, President of CARFAX Canada, in a statement.
Vording said if the consumer’s vehicle has been found to be a clone, it is seized. And if the consumer’s VIN was used as the donor, the consumer enters a lengthy and frustrating process to prove their car is the authentic vehicle.
“Early detection in both cases is key, and that’s what inspired us to build Vehicle Monitoring, helping owners take action sooner, reducing the stress and legwork of untangling a VIN fraud incident,” said Vording.
Vehicle Monitoring tracks activity on a consumer’s VIN and additions to the vehicle’s history. CARFAX Canada said more than 1,000 VINs are compromised daily in Canada. They also estimate that there are over 372,000 potentially cloned VINs in Canada.
“If a VIN continues to have Canadian history show up on the report after it’s been exported to another country, that’s a red flag,” said Vording. “A vehicle should not be generating Canadian activity such as getting an oil change or being involved in an accident once it’s supposedly overseas.”
