The variety of brands and descriptions of what constitutes a brand creates opportunities for auto theft and fraud. Differences in title branding laws make it easier to sell stolen vehicles through title washing and VIN cloning. The practice of moving a salvage-branded vehicle to a state that requires different title brands or definitions to obtain a clear title is referred to as “title washing.” A person in one state, for example, repairs a damaged and salvage-branded vehicle, then moves it to another state to obtain an unbranded title. The new title does not provide notice to.
