Ground Master of Car Theft: A Victim’s Insight into the Eye Gouging Method Behind Alphard Robberies

“An Alphard with only 30,000 km on it was priced 1 to 1.5 million yen lower than the market value. Looking back, there were suspicious points like the payment method being cash in hand, but the vehicle inspection certificate was valid, and the documents for changing ownership were all in order, so I trusted it.”

The person expressing regret is A, a company owner in his 30s. In June of this year, he purchased a 2022 model Alphard for 3.9 million yen. However, that vehicle had been reported stolen last December. Nevertheless, the vehicle inspection certificate and license plate were not from a stolen car; they belonged to a legitimate vehicle that actually existed.

This is a method known as eye removal, and recently, the number of victims deceived into purchasing problematic vehicles using this technique has been increasing. Automotive lifestyle journalist Kumiko Kato, who investigates this issue, explains:

“Eye removal refers to the crime of purchasing popular models of accident cars at a low price and substituting them with problematic vehicles. This involves removing the vehicle identification number, which is essentially the vehicle’s family register, from the problematic car and replacing it with that of the purchased car. Additionally, the vehicle inspection certificate, compulsory insurance, and license plates are also swapped out. To investigate this, one needs to know the original vehicle identification number before it was subjected to eye removal. In this case, various measures were taken to identify the vehicle identification number, and ultimately, a contact at a dealership was asked for help. By using a diagnostic tool on the ECU (the vehicle’s computer), we were able to identify the number. Further verification at the transport bureau confirmed that it was a stolen vehicle.”

The method of changing vehicle identification numbers and license plates to impersonate another car for sale can be likened to an automotive version of ground merchants.

Confronting the Automotive Version of Ground Merchants

In mid-September, Mr. A, along with Ms. Kato and others, pursued the reality of fraudulent sales and negotiated with the dealer for a refund. The person who responded was a burly middle-aged man with a scruffy beard. When asked why he had falsified the vehicle identification number (VIN), he replied:

“It’s a financial car (a car seized for debt), but the debtor has gone missing, so it can’t be changed through regular procedures. That’s why I transplanted the number from another vehicle.”

When Mr. A argued, “This won’t pass inspection,” the dealer responded:

“It won’t pass normally, but there are dealers who can get it through ‘the underground.’ I can introduce you to them.”

He denied knowing until the end that the car was stolen, but ultimately, when Mr. A reported it to the police, the man reluctantly refunded the full purchase price on the spot and left hurriedly.

According to the National Police Agency, the number of recognized motor vehicle thefts in 2023 was 5,762, increasing for the second consecutive year. Among these, over 700 Alphards were stolen, more than double the previous year’s figure. It is believed that some of these vehicles are being sold off.

“Typically, the cars are smuggled overseas to evade customs scrutiny, but perhaps due to strengthened inspection protocols, more dealers appear to be selling them domestically. Mr. A’s car had a discrepancy between the issuing region of the license plate and the area of the seal (the fastening). Avoid dealers that give you any sense of discomfort,” said Ms. Kato.

In the face of increasingly sophisticated schemes, it is wise to abandon the mindset of I won’t be deceived.

From the October 11 , 2024 issue of FRIDAY