Man shocked after buying his own stolen vehicle

In a viral incident, Ewan Valentine, a 36-year-old man resident of Solihull, England, purchased his own stolen car while he was looking for a replacement.

He had a black 2016 Honda Civic Type-R, which was stolen from its immediate parking space on February 28, leaving him upset.

Ewan Valentine kept his fingers crossed in search of a similar vehicle. He found a nearly matching Honda Civic for sale.

As the car had a different license plate and VIN, he did not doubt anything unusual. However, as he paid more than $26,000 for the other vehicle, he started observing the items he was familiar with in his previous car, like tent pegs, Christmas tree pines, and wrappers in the storage section.

His curiosity led him to check the car’s GPS history, which showed earlier visits to his home, his parents’ house and his partner’s place.

As Valentine realised something fishy, he took the vehicle to the Honda dealership, and the technicians revealed that the VIN was fraudulent and the car was his own stolen car.

As the situation has gone viral, police are examining the vehicle for forensic evidence before handing it over to Valentine’s insurance company.

According to the authorities, this one is the most sophisticated cloning job they have ever had.

The insurance company will decide whether the car can be permitted to be road-legal again or if Valentine will receive compensation.

This viral case highlights the rising issue of stolen car cloning and VIN fraud, advising car buyers to conduct thorough checks before purchasing second-hand vehicles.

Recent reports confirm that Valentine unknowingly bought back his stolen Honda Civic from a reputable dealership.

Experts at Honda verified that the VIN was altered, making it nearly impossible to detect. Valentine is now waiting for his insurance company to resolve the matter.