HELENA — The Montana Department of Justice is cracking down on crime that could impact those in the market for a new car—vehicle theft and fraud. The Montana DOJ Division of Criminal Investigation is getting three new agents that will specifically focus on motor vehicle crimes.
(WATCH: Montana DCI adds investigators to crack down on motor vehicle crime)
Jason Saunders is one of those new DCI agents. He was sworn in to his new position in Helena on Wednesday.
“In the last two and a half years, I have probably identified over $40 million worth of fraudulent vehicles that have been retitled in Montana,” Saunders said.
Before moving to DCI, Saunders was an investigator with the Montana DOJ Motor Vehicle Division. He said he has seen a concerning change in vehicle-related crimes.
“If you look at the nationwide auto theft numbers, it’s down significantly in the last few years, but I think that’s because there are so many of them being acquired by fraud,” Saunders said. “So, the fraud numbers have gone up while the straight auto theft have gone down.”
Many of the crimes he investigates look different than a car getting broken into and taken; rather, he said fraud cases tend to be complicated, high-tech and organized.
“We’re seeing a lot of finance fraud,” Saunders said.
He explained that means a person goes into a dealership with a fake or stolen ID, then buys a vehicle with financing.
“They’ll turn around and default on that financing, because it’s not under their name, they don’t care,” he said. “Then, they’ll re-VIN it with a new VIN label, and sell it to a consumer.”
Saunders said the fake documentation used in these fraud cases can look very convincing.
If the fraud is caught, the vehicle goes back to the original owner, and the buyer is out what they paid for the vehicle.
Moving Saunders and the other two new motor vehicle enforcement investigators from the MVD to DCI is meant to bring more of these motor vehicle cases to criminal prosecution.
“This has to do with private property; it has to do with theft very often, vehicle fraud,” Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said. “Those are crimes, and we’re going to treat them as such.”
This illegal activity can also extend beyond state lines, and it can involve a variety of different crimes.
“We’re often looking at bank fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud,” Montana DOJ Division of Criminal Investigation Administrator Lee Johnson said. “Aside from the theft-type of cases and altering documents, they’re very serious criminal offenses.”
Saunders said he is ready to get to work bringing criminals to justice and protecting Montana consumers in his new role with DCI.
“Being under DCI gives me the ability to see the process through to the end,” he said.
There are resources available to help consumers avoid falling victim to a vehicle fraud-related crime. Check out the MVD website for tips on buying and selling a vehicle.
