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NEW YORK (CNN/Money) -
Now your car may also be at risk of identity theft.
Thieves are stealing identification numbers of luxury cars and sport-utility vehicles to put them on stolen automobiles so they can't be easily traced, according to USA Today.
Thieves seek out vehicle identification numbers (VINs) belonging to cars that are similar in make, model and year to recently-stolen vehicles.
Stolen vehicles with legitimate IDs are easier to register at motor vehicle departments and aren't detected until an insurance company, the insurance crime bureau or the police discover that there are two or more vehicles with the same VIN registered to people in different places, the newspaper said.
According to USA Today, about 600 vehicles with duplicated VINs have been seized since last July, says Ivan Blackman of the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
Blackman told the newspaper that there have been at least 10 arrests since January in connection with VIN thievery.
In March, Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist announced arrests in a two-year investigation, dubbed Operation Road Runner, that uncovered a car theft ring allegedly responsible for stealing VINs from more than 250 cars, the newspaper said.
Is your identity up for grabs too? Click here.
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