Buying a vehicle you’ve admired for years is a major accomplishment. But for an Ontario family, their dream purchase turned into an auto theft nightmare.
In 2023, Frank Rizqo’s relatives in Toronto purchased a 2019 Porsche Cayenne from a local dealership, finally crossing off a monumental entry on their bucket list. But the car was stolen from them just months later. To make matters even worse, when the family tried to claim insurance through TD Insurance for the theft, they were told they would be on the hook for the $100,000 left in car payments.
“Our investigation has concluded that the VIN is fictitious and registered to another vehicle. Therefore, there will be no coverage for the loss,” a letter from TD stated, uncovered by CTV News.
The news shocked Rizqo, as his relatives had purchased the vehicle through a reliable dealership and bought car insurance as a fail-safe. As it turns out, they were victims of a complex auto theft scheme known as “re-vinning.”
How re-vinning allows thieves to sell stolen vehicles
According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), re-vinning is a process of illegally altering a stolen vehicle’s Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to sell it to unsuspecting parties.
To re-vin a vehicle, criminals purchase vehicle registration information from ServiceOntario sites and then illegally register that acquired VIN to a stolen vehicle. They exploit a number of procedural vulnerabilities at various government levels to do so. In some cases, ServiceOntario staff have been arrested for assisting auto theft crime rings get sensitive information for re-vinning purposes.
After a thorough investigation involving CTV News and Carfax’s president, Shawn Vording, they concluded that Rizqo’s relative’s Porsche was likely a re-vinned vehicle.
First, they found differing odometer amounts on the vehicle, potentially pointing to odometer fraud. But, when Vording found two different car records with the same VIN in two different provinces, he concluded the car was likely re-vinned.
Unfortunately, Rizqo’s relatives aren’t the only Canadians buying stolen vehicles.
The IBC reported that auto theft in Canada has risen 138% from the first half 2014 to the first half of 2024. Ontario was one of the hardest hit regions, with auto theft rising 291% in the same period, whereas Alberta only saw a 48%.
Police in Canada estimate that nearly one-third of vehicles resold in Canada are potentially re-vinned and sold, CBC News reported last year.
With re-vinning and auto theft being so prevalent in the country, is there anything Canadians can do? Turns out, you have a few options.
How to identify a stolen or re-vinned vehicle
Buying a used vehicle may carry substantial risk if you don’t perform proper due diligence. Here are some tips to get you started.
- Review the Canadian Police Information Centre database: The Canadian Police Information Centre has a VIN search page consumers can use to check the VINs on any vehicle they are interested in.
- Double-check VIN stickers: Check the VIN stickers on the dashboard and on the divider between the front and back door on the driver’s side. If the sticker is bubbling in any way, this could be a sign a fraudulent sticker was placed above the real one.
- Obtain third-party reports: Vehicle history reports from companies such as Carfax can reveal a shady history underneath a vehicle’s hood. This can bring up any red flags that point to the car being stolen.
What to do if your vehicle turns out to be stolen
If worse comes to worst and you end up in the same position as Rizqo’s relatives — with a stolen car and a rejected insurance claim — what are your options? Here are some ways you can find recourse:
- Pursue a civil claim: So long as the person or dealership was negligent or malicious in selling you the vehicle, you may be able to pursue a claim against them to recover funds.
- Apply for compensation with the OMVIC: Ontario’s Motor Vehicle Industry Council has a compensation fund that can be accessed by consumers hit by auto fraud and meet certain requirements.
- Appeal the claim rejection: If all other options fail, you can try appealing the insurance claim denial, but this is likely best done with the help of a legal professional.
As auto theft and re-vinning continue to plague Canadians across the country, consumers need to keep their eyes peeled for any red flags when purchasing a vehicle. Even if you’re purchasing the car of your dreams, make sure to take off your rose-colored glasses before signing a contract.
Sources
1. CTV News: They bought a car from a dealership but it turned out to be stolen. This is how it happened., by Jon Woodward (Jun 16, 2025)
2. Insurance Bureau of Canada: Combatting Canada’s Auto Theft Crisis: Tackling ReVINing, by Hanna Beydoun (Aug 8, 2024)
3. CBC News: 7 arrested after police investigate auto theft ring that allegedly involved ServiceOntario employees, by Muriel Draaisma (Dec 6, 2023)
4. Insurance Bureau of Canada: New data shows auto theft continues to soar above historical levels (Oct 2, 2024)
5. CBC News: New data shows auto theft continues to soar above historical levels, by David Common (Apr 24, 2024)
6. Canadian Police Information Centre: Search vehicles
7. OMVIC: Compensation Fund
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
