One of our members informed us that late last week, they had a car stolen by an individual that took a vehicle for a test drive and did not return. The name that the man provided was Nate Smetz, and he provided what appears to be an Ohio ID card. Upon further scrutiny, features such as signatures and the star to the left of the Ohio graphic appear to be missing from the ID card. This individual did provide an insurance card for a 2021 Toyota Supra. The individual test drove several different vehicles at the dealership and initially completed a test drive agreement. However, contrary to company policy, a salesperson did not accompany this individual on the test drive. The dealership has not yet recovered the vehicle.

The dealership also informed us that a similar incident reportedly happened with the same individual at a used car dealership, but that he used a different ID card at that dealership.

Dealers are reminded to be vigilant when reviewing drivers' licenses and state-issued IDs. Look for missing signatures, holographs, and other signs of tampering. Also, remind staff members that customers without a valid driver license cannot operate a vehicle; a state ID is not sufficient to legally operate a vehicle.

Take this opportunity to review your test drive and identity verification policies and procedures with your staff. Equally as important, make sure that your policies are consistently enforced.