On April 27, 2007, an undercover investigation of the Georgetown vehicle licensing subagency in Seattle was initiated by Department of Licensing (DOL), the Washington State Patrol (WSP), and local police. The investigation was initiated by a complaint about an irregular vehicle transaction received by King County licensing officials.
After the arrest was made, we continued to investigate transactions from this subagency and identified 650 confirmed vehicles involved. The investigation revealed several types of suspected illegal activities including title washing (avoiding brands and WSP VIN inspections), use tax fraud (avoiding use tax liability or undervaluing vehicle values), and emission test avoidance.
Title washing is the process of titling a vehicle without recording title brands. A title brand is a notation on a vehicle title that records a special circumstance or condition involving that vehicle. Removing title brands from a vehicle title can increase a vehicle’s value and hide a vehicle’s past. Title brands commonly found on titles can indicate that a vehicle has been destroyed and rebuilt, was a former rental vehicle or taxi, or was formerly owned by a government agency.
Yes. We notified the owners of vehicles affected by this situation by mail. Letters sent to affected vehicle owners explained the situation, detailed any action required, and provided a contact for further questions.
Yes, if you have reason to believe your vehicle is affected but you did not receive a letter, you can review the list of affected vehicles which includes the vehicle year, make, and vehicle identification number (VIN). If your VIN appears on this list but you haven’t received a letter, please contact the Customer Call Center as soon as possible at (360) 902-3770 Option #5.
We are looking at ways of making sure there is more oversight by those appointed to do this work on behalf of the state. We have identified several changes to our title examining functions that will increase our ability to identify this type of activity.
Individuals who abuse their positions in vehicle licensing offices can be difficult to detect without constant oversight, so we are constantly working on new ways to improve oversight of those appointed to this work on behalf of the state. We created a special title fraud unit to combat this problem through extra training and increased scrutiny of suspect documents or transactions.
Washington is part of a national database called the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS). The state Legislature approved funds to match a federal grant and this system is now operational. This federal database helps DOL and law enforcement officers track vehicles within the state and across the country.
You can contact our Customer Call Center at (360) 902-3770 Option #5 or email us at titles@dol.wa.gov.