A team of title fraudsters was arrested for forging titles in Alabama. The people are each charged with first-degree theft by deception, possession of a forged or altered title, and deceptive business practices. The scheme was to buy salvage title cars and to pass them off as clean titles.
The victim discovered that the vehicle identification number search revealed a salvage title history. The vehicle had been in an accident in Mississippi and was declared a total loss before the they had purchased it.
Investigators say they quickly discovered a pattern with the Shvetses in the sale of many vehicles and believe there are many other victims who may be unknowingly driving a total loss vehicle purchased from them.