4.9rated Check a Vehicle
Check a Vehicle

Buyer’s guide

How to spot a rebirthed or cloned car

Some stolen cars are sold with a fake identity, so the paperwork looks clean at first glance. If you buy one, police can seize it and you can lose the car and your money. Here’s what to look for.

What rebirthing and cloning mean

  • Rebirthing: a stolen car is given the identity of a written-off car of the same make and model. Criminals buy the wreck for its VIN and papers, then move that identity onto the stolen car.
  • Cloning: a stolen car is given the VIN and number plates of a similar legitimate car that’s still on the road, so a quick rego check comes back clean.

Either way, the car you’re looking at isn’t really the car on the paperwork.

Warning signs on the car

  • VINs that don’t match between the windscreen, the door pillar, the build or compliance plate, the engine bay and the rego papers. Where to find each VIN.
  • Tampered VIN labels or plates: scratches, glue, bent edges, non-factory rivets or screws, or a sticker that looks newer than the car around it.
  • Ignition or lock damage, a replaced ignition barrel, or only one key, especially a new-looking one.
  • Fresh paint or panels on a car with no damage history, or paint in door jambs that doesn’t match the outside.
VIN label on a car’s door pillar

Warning signs in the sale

  • The price is well below similar cars.
  • The seller wants to meet in a car park or on the street, not at their home.
  • Their name or address doesn’t match the registration papers, or they can’t show ID.
  • They push for a quick cash sale.
  • There’s no service history, or the logbook belongs to a different car.

If the VINs don’t match, stop. There are innocent explanations for a missing label, but a mismatch between VINs on the same car is a serious red flag.

How to check a car’s identity

  1. Check every VIN location on the car, and make sure they all match each other and the rego papers.
  2. Run a PPSR check on the VIN. Check that the make, model, year and colour on the result match the car in front of you.
  3. Look at the write-off record. If the VIN is recorded as written off but the car shows no sign of major repairs, it could be a rebirthed car using a wreck’s identity. What write-off records mean.
  4. Check the stolen status on the PPSR result. More on stolen vehicle checks.
  5. Do a free rego check on the plates and make sure the make and model match too.
  6. Check the seller’s ID against the name and address on the papers.
  7. Get a pre-purchase inspection. An experienced mechanic or inspector may spot tampering you’d miss. What an inspection covers.

What to do if something seems wrong

  • Don’t buy the car, and don’t confront the seller.
  • Report it to the police, or anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
  • If you’ve already bought it, contact the police and keep your receipt, messages and the ad.

Rebirthed and cloned car questions

What happens if I buy a stolen car without knowing?

Police can seize a stolen vehicle, even from a buyer who didn’t know. You may then have to try to recover your money from the seller. That’s why checking the VIN and the seller’s ID before you pay matters so much.

Will a rego check show if a car is cloned?

Not on its own. A cloned car uses the plates or VIN of a legitimate car, so a rego check can come back clean. Compare every VIN on the car, check the PPSR result matches the car’s description, and check the seller’s ID.

Can a car with a written-off record be legitimate?

Yes. Some repairable write-offs are repaired and re-registered legally, depending on state rules. The warning sign is a write-off record on a car that shows no sign of the repairs, or a seller who denies the history.

Check the VIN before you buy.

Where do I find my VIN?
Official PPSR dataSecure paymentReport emailed to you