Car theft ring in Cook, DuPage counties used fake IDs to illegally finance cars at dealerships: authorities
Car dealerships in DuPage and Cook Counties have been feeling the sting of an organized car theft ring that used identity theft to illegally obtain financing and rip off a number of dealers.
A total of six people have been indicted: two ringleaders and four associates who were lured into the scheme with cash and drugs. They would then use stolen or fake IDs to apply for loans to illegally obtain vehicles.
“The indictments are part of Operation Free Ride, an investigation has been ongoing for some time into a pattern of seemingly isolated automotive thefts,” said Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul.
These recent thefts are just the latest way thieves have preyed on car dealerships, which on multiple occasions this year have