A Nebraska woman who purchased a used car nearly five years ago has been informed by authorities that the vehicle is part of a complex auto theft scam, WOWT 6 News reported.
Jill Matthews, whose 2008 Mazda 6 has been linked to a large Illinois auto theft case, said she bought the vehicle in February 2009 from used car dealership Car Nation.
"I found out my vehicle is a stolen vehicle in a different state ... Are you kidding me?" she said. "How have I owned this vehicle, drove this vehicle for this long, it's been licensed, it's been registered, I have a title, a lease. I'm paying for it. I have car insurance."
A state trooper showed up on Thursday at Matthews' workplace to inform her that the Mazda was part of a scam where identifying information was altered on around 200 cars sold nationwide.
Illinois used car dealer Charles Swisher allegedly altered VIN numbers on the vehicles and is in jail on multiple counts related to the thefts, according to WOWT 6. Swisher changed the last five digits on the Mazda's VIN number, Matthews said.
Car Nation said the car was purchased at an auction that was approved through a CarFax report.
Matthews, who formerly used the vehicle to drive herself to work and her daughter to school, is now without a means of transportation.
"We're really just going day by day," she told WOWT 6.
Around 30 vehicles have been found in eight states through researching sales records. At least two had been sold to unsuspecting victims in the Omaha area and near Columbus, Neb., respectively.
The auto theft case was called a "web of paperwork" by Dan Likens of the Illinois Tri-State Auto.
The cars involved in the scam will have to be returned to their original owners or the insurance company, WOWT 6 reported.
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