What is a ringer? The Home Office estimates that roughly 350,000 cars were stolen last year. Some of these cars were stolen by joyriders and abandoned, some were dismantled for parts, but over 30,000 were destined to become ‘ringers’.
		Put simply, a 'ringer' is a stolen car that has had its original identification numbers replaced with those of another car.
	Every new car is given its own unique vehicle identification number (VIN), which is displayed on a small metal plate, found either on the driver’s door or in the engine bay and stamped onto the vehicle’s chassis. This number acts like the car’s fingerprint and allows the authorities to access certain information about the car, including whether or not it’s stolen. By forging VIN plates and chassis numbers taken from vehicles written-off in accidents, thieves are able to pass off stolen cars as genuine. Many 'ringers' are sold, either privately or through car dealers, to unsuspecting buyers – and these people are hit hardest by this crime. Once the deal is done it’s usually too late - they have no way of getting their money back and, as the car does not legally belong to them, it will be taken away and returned to the original owner or sold as ‘salvage’ to recoup losses to insurers.