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DMV Investigation Leads to Fraud Bust

VIN-Switching One of Many Hustles Being Run from Vegas Residence

LAS VEGAS - Officials with the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles' Compliance Enforcement Division (CED) have arrested one suspect at a Las Vegas residence after partnering with the National Insurance Crime Bureau to track down two luxury sport utility vehicles stolen out of Florida - and discovered one of the largest credit card skimming labs in Nevada's history.

CED put together an arrest warrant on Wednesday to apprehend suspect Yan Luis Acosta-Hernandez on two charges of possession of a stolen vehicle and two counts of possession of a vehicle with an altered VIN. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department provided mutual aid for law enforcement's raid on the residence and financial crimes investigators were called in when CED discovered thousands of dollars in cash, drugs, 71 credit card skimming machines, and other electronics used for fradulent capture of consumer credit card numbers and PINs.

"Through the NICB, we learned that Florida detectives suspected that the vehicles might be in Nevada," CED Chief J.D. Decker said. Additionally, CED worked with the National Insurance Crime Bureau to determine that the VIN numbers on the vehicles had been switched - a telltale sign of a stolen vehicle and a separate crime itself. "We caught a lucky break and located one of the vehicles on the road. After following it to a residence, we tied the residence to the people we are looking at."

Many of these stolen and altered vehicles end up as bait for scammers trying to make quick cash on social media. Platforms like Facebook Marketplace are full of "too-good-to-be-true" advertisements for low-priced vehicles in good condition.

"Ultimately what ends up happening is these vehicles are sold to unsuspecting members of the public for cash," Decker explained. "Usually there's some reason the seller can't get you the title paperwork. That's a bad sign."

"These buyers will often have the vehicle for a short period of time before being contacted by law enforcement notifying them that their new vehicle was stolen, or another individual will come out of the woodwork with the title for that vehicle," Decker elaborated. "Either way, the result is the same - the car is either impounded by law enforcement or someone else walks away with the car, leaving the buyer without cash or transportation."

The DMV encourages anyone purchasing a vehicle from a private seller to meet at a local DMV office and utilize the VIN inspection station to ensure the vehicle they're purchasing has not had its VIN altered. Make sure the vehicle's title matches the seller's name and accept no excuses for a missing title.

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