Like taxis before them, rental car companies are having to contend with the app services revolution. There are a number of companies now that let the renter simply choose a car on an app, and then the owner of that car just delivers it to them to rent for a few days. There’s just one thing though — the traditional rental car companies all actually own the cars that they rent out, while these people offering their rides through an app? Maybe not so much.
Arizona’s Vehicle Theft Task Force recently busted a car theft operation with a modern twist. The culprits, instead of selling their stolen goods to a buyer or just parting it out at a chop shop, decided to just rent them out via Turo, an app-based rental service. Per Arizona’s Family, the bad guys would jack the cars from California and other states, drive them into Arizona, and then swap out the VIN numbers and get them re-registered. The latter was apparently an inside job, as one of the task force’s arrests was of someone who worked for the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division.
The nefarious plot to rent out some cars
To their credit, the thieves did have good taste. They went for the good stuff: Aston Martins, BMWs, Corvettes, Mercedes G-Wagens, and even a Rolls-Royce were amongst the spoils. Once their VIN numbers had been changed, the cars were then listed on Turo under the name they chose for their front company, AAA Luxury Car Rental, which I can only assume just barely won out over “Lol We Stole Them All.” Ever rented a really nice car on Turo in Phoenix? You might have been driving a stolen car.
In all, the VTTF recovered 29 cars worth around $2.5 million after surrounding the culprits’ house and giving them the classic, “Come to the front door with your hands up!” Once the cops had searched the place, they also found a stash of cash and guns, which I don’t think most car rental companies would have. Further investigation revealed that the money they were making went to bank accounts in the U.S., Mexico, and Middle East, indicating that this was a small part of a much larger international crime ring, possibly including cartel activity.
In all, the bad guys earned around $160,000 from the scheme, which is pretty much all profit since the cars were, well, free. Then again, is $160,000 worth whatever jail time they’re about to do? Probably not. For its part, Turo itself told Arizona’s Family that “criminal activity is extremely rare” on its platform. That’s great, but… how would they know?