Ontario Premier Doug Ford is promising swift action after a CTV W5 investigation exposed critical gaps in vehicle registration systems that allow car thieves to re-vin and resell stolen vehicles to unsuspecting buyers. Re-vinning—the practice of replacing a vehicle’s original identification number with one from another vehicle—is a growing tactic among auto theft rings who have adapted to tighter port controls by targeting the domestic resale market.
Ford responded directly to W5’s investigation at a press conference, pledging that Ontario would begin tracking and measuring the inspection of suspicious vehicles more closely. “You’re bang on,” he said. “You can’t manage anything unless you measure it. I promise you, they’re going to be measured. And throw these guys in jail, too, for a few years. Teach them a lesson.” The Premier’s personal stake in the issue became clear this week when four masked men attempted to steal a car from his own driveway. Toronto Police later charged the suspects with possessing a motor vehicle theft device and unlawfully purchasing a master key.
W5’s five-part series highlighted how re-vinning enables criminals to obscure a car’s stolen status by altering its 17-digit Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), rendering it invisible to digital checks. These altered vehicles can then be sold to unsuspecting customers or insured without triggering red flags. The investigation uncovered numerous disturbing cases, including one in which a family that purchased a 2019 Porsche Cayenne received a letter from their insurer declaring the vehicle had a “fictitious VIN.” W5 later traced the matching VIN to a car in Alberta, revealing conflicting odometer readings and maintenance records between the two vehicles.
Experts like Mike Fehr from the Edmonton Police’s auto theft unit say the problem is growing and highly lucrative. In one case, he showed W5 a Dodge Ram truck constructed from stolen parts belonging to two separate vehicles—a so-called “franken-car.” Fehr emphasized that buyers of these tampered vehicles often remain liable for payments even after their car is seized. “It’s incredibly high reward to take a wrecked vehicle, put stolen parts on it, and sell it to a victim. It’s tens of thousands of dollars per truck,” he said.
The issue, according to industry experts, lies in lax inspection protocols across provinces. Dan Service of VIN Verification Services, who works with Saskatchewan and Alberta governments, warned that most jurisdictions aren’t doing enough to cross-check VINs with police databases or conduct in-person inspections. “Those provinces create the opportunity for criminals to create full VINs or use vehicles from salvaged vehicles, or used VINs from cars they’ve seen in a parking lot,” Service said. In some cases, the corruption is internal—W5 revealed that a Service Ontario employee was convicted of registering fake VINs and was arrested while driving one of the stolen vehicles.
When W5 asked each province how often they refer suspicious vehicles for physical inspection, only Quebec provided a concrete figure: 225. Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation admitted it had no such data. While Service called this an “honest response,” he also warned it signals a dangerous oversight. “If you don’t have someone going out to look, the criminals have essentially carte blanche,” he said.
With auto thefts on the rise and re-vinning scams becoming increasingly sophisticated, Premier Ford’s pledge may be the first step in a broader crackdown. But experts and victims alike will be watching closely to see if the promised enforcement materializes—and whether it can keep pace with organized crime networks already exploiting the gaps.