Guy Buys Ram 2500 On Marketplace, Finds Out Its A Stolen Clone

John Turco thought he was just going to a routine doctor’s appointment when his day took a shocking turn. As soon as he parked his white 2021 Ram 2500 Laramie in the lot, six police officers surrounded his truck. One of the troopers reassured him, saying, “You’re not in any trouble.” But the reason for their presence left him stunned.

Turco had unknowingly bought a stolen vehicle.

It all started when Turco found an ad for the truck on Facebook Marketplace. The seller provided plenty of photos, including images of the truck’s interior, exterior, and vehicle identification number (VIN). The seller even claimed to have a Tennessee title for the vehicle, which seemed legitimate.

To be sure, Turco ran three separate VIN checks. Each one confirmed the vehicle had never been reported stolen or classified as a salvage title. To take it a step further, he called a Dodge dealership in Tennessee. They verified the truck had been serviced there as recently as August 2024. Everything appeared to check out.

Satisfied with his research, Turco secured a loan, bought insurance, and met the seller in Indiana. He paid $28,000 for the Ram 2500 and brought it home. Soon after, the Butler County Clerk of Courts processed the out-of-state title and issued him license plates.

But two weeks later, police and undercover troopers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Vehicle Theft and Fraud Unit closed in on Turco. They informed him his truck was a “cloned” vehicle — a stolen truck with its VIN replaced by one from a legally registered vehicle of the same make, model, and color.

Turco was in disbelief. “How can it be stolen? I’ve got a title, license plates, insurance, and a loan,” he said. But despite having all the paperwork, the truck was confiscated.

Car cloning is a growing problem, according to Ohio law enforcement. Thieves replace a stolen vehicle’s VIN with one from a similar legitimate vehicle and create fake registration documents to sell the cloned car to unsuspecting buyers.

One key warning sign in Turco’s case was the VIN sticker on the dashboard — it was slightly off-center, unlike the perfectly aligned stickers Chrysler applies. Law enforcement also noted that tire pressure labels on legitimate vehicles are firmly affixed and difficult to remove, while cloned vehicles often have tampered or misaligned stickers.

For buyers looking to avoid this nightmare, experts recommend using an OBD-II reader — a $100 device that reads the vehicle’s electronic systems and displays the full VIN. They also suggest meeting sellers at a title office or police station and being cautious with out-of-state titles.

Unfortunately, Turco’s troubles didn’t end with losing the truck. He still owes $450 a month on the five-year loan and lost additional money spent on insurance, registration, and accessories like a hard top and new sideboards.

“It’s mind-boggling,” Turco said. “My credit’s going to take a hit, and I’m out $28,000 with nothing to show for it.”

For now, Ohio investigators continue to crack down on VIN cloning, hoping to prevent more consumers from falling victim to this costly and devastating crime.

Source: WLWT