Three men have been charged and a range of stolen property seized yesterday as part of a Vehicle Crime Squad investigation into a car rebirthing syndicate.
On Wednesday, 28 May detectives from the Vehicle Crime Squad, Illicit Firearms Squad, VIPER Taskforce, Echo Taskforce and Gang Crime Squad executed three warrants at residential properties in Caroline Springs, Meadow Heights and Narre Warren South, as well as two factories in Laverton North and Brooklyn.
Police seized a range of allegedly stolen items from across the five addresses, including:
• A 2020 Nissan Qashai wagon, allegedly stolen from a Craigieburn business earlier this month;
• A 2025 Nissan Pathfinder, allegedly stolen from Nissan prior to being registered;
• A range of false, cloned, stolen and home made number plates;
• False VicRoads transfer papers and false identification documents;
• Log books from rebirthed vehicles;
• Vehicle parts;
• A large quantity of cash;
• Drugs believed to be steroids; and
• Electronic equipment such as mobile phones and computers.
The vehicles will all be forensically assessed and police are hoping to return them to their rightful owners as soon as possible.
A 31-year-old Caroline Springs man, a 24-year-old Meadow Heights man and a 25-year-old Narre Warren South man were all arrested and interviewed by police.
They have subsequently been charged as follows:
• The Caroline Springs man has been charged with 39 offences including handle stolen goods, deal property suspected of being proceeds of crime, obtain property by deception, theft of motor vehicle, theft, use false document and use identification information;
• The Meadow Heights man has been charged with 15 offences including handle stolen goods, deal property suspected of being proceeds of crime, obtain property by deception, use false document and use identification information; and
• The Narre Warren South man has been charged with eight offences including deal property suspected of being proceeds of crime, obtain property by deception, use false document and use identification information
The trio have been bailed to appear at Melbourne Magistrates' Court on 12 August.
Yesterday's arrests were part of a Vehicle Crime Squad investigation that commenced earlier this month looking into rebirthed vehicles then being sold online via Facebook marketplace, primarily in Melbourne's north and north west suburbs.
Police will allege the syndicate was selling stolen vehicles with cloned identifiers taken from online advertisements for legitimate vehicles, as well as placing trackers in stolen vehicles and re-stealing them in order to fraudulently sell them again.
During the investigation a total of 10 allegedly fraudulent sales were identified using 14 stolen vehicles, and 12 of these cars have since been recovered.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Police are urging those looking to purchase a vehicle privately to be wary of similar scams targeting unsuspecting buyers, including:
• A price that is too good to be true, especially where the vehicle is advertised at a much lower price than market value;
• The owner not being present and the vehicle being sold on behalf of another person;
• Pressure on an urgent sale that same day;
• ID checks on the seller where they only produce a picture of the "owner's" license and no card, as well as refusing to provide identification for themselves;
• Meet ups occurring in out of the way places, particularly areas that may not be covered by CCTV;
• Selling a vehicle where only one key is provided; and
• Vehicles where the VIN stickers and compliance plates have been tampered with - if buyers are unsure, a Google search will often readily show the correct position and style of these numbers.
Anyone with information about vehicle rebirthing or theft is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
Quotes attributable to Detective Inspector Julie MacDonald, Vehicle Crime Squad:
"Vehicle theft can have an enormous impact on people's lives, not only the financial losses associated with having your car stolen but also losing the freedom of movement for things such as employment or family responsibilities.
"Yesterday's arrests and seizures are a really satisfying result for Vehicle Crime Squad detectives and the investigation into the activities of this syndicate remains ongoing.
"It's not only about recovering vehicles that have been stolen at great loss to their rightful owners, but also preventing any further thefts.
"For those in the market for a new vehicle, particularly if they are looking to buy one privately via online marketplaces, then we urge you to be wary of scams such as this.
"Anything where the deal seems too good to be true and the seller is cagey with providing a lot of identification detail or pushing for a quick sale, should be ringing alarm bells with people.
"We know that with the cost of living that people are looking to get a great deal, but it's important that deal doesn't result in people losing their hard earned money.
"The Vehicle Crime Squad will continue to target those contributing to organised motor vehicle crime in Victoria and shut down any illegal activity of this nature.
"We'd also invite anyone with information about this kind of illegal activity to please contact Crime Stoppers - it can be done anonymously, and we'll continue to act on these reports."
