A stolen Nissan GT-R worth about $75,000 is back in police hands in Goodyear after investigators chased down an anonymous tip that ended with one person in cuffs, authorities said. Detectives found that the high-performance sports car had its vehicle identification markers tampered with, a move investigators say thieves often use to hide a stolen ride.
According to 12News, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said detectives located the vehicle at a west Valley residence on Tuesday after the anonymous tip and arrested Valdemar Quidera Jr. The agency told reporters the GT-R, valued at about $75,000, carried an altered vehicle identification number, apparently to conceal the theft, and that investigators traced the suspected tampering to the Van Buren Street and Sarival Avenue area.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau notes that VIN tampering and cloning are common fraud methods, and experts urge buyers to verify a vehicle’s VIN and pull a vehicle-history check before completing a private sale. Simple steps like matching the VIN on the dash, the door jamb, and the paperwork and running a report from a reputable provider can help flag cloned or altered identities before money changes hands…