A California Highway Patrol officer recently recovered a stolen Honda Accord after discovering the vehicle’s identification number had been altered, authorities said.

An officer stopped the Honda Accord during an enforcement stop and determined the vehicle had been “VIN switched,” a scheme in which a vehicle identification number is replaced or altered to conceal a vehicle’s true identity. The vehicle had been reported stolen, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Merced-area office.

The driver was not the person who stole the car, authorities said. Instead, he was an unsuspecting buyer who had paid cash for the vehicle after finding it listed on an online marketplace.

The CHP said it has seen an increase in similar cases. In those situations, a vehicle is advertised online at an attractive price, and sellers often provide paperwork that appears legitimate. Buyers pay cash and believe the transaction is valid until the vehicle is later recovered and identified as stolen.

CHP has recovered several VIN-switched vehicles in recent months, helping return stolen vehicles to their owners, and preventing additional buyers from becoming victims, authorities said.

Authorities urged people shopping for vehicles online to be cautious, warning that deals that appear too good to be true often are.

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