You saw them all over Sheepshead Bay and other neighborhoods in the days following Sandy – the four-wheeled storm victims that littered the streets at odd angles after flood waters carried them along and then dropped them anywhere, leaving them with no value except for insurance claims.

For a few unscrupulous used car dealers, the estimated 400,000 cars flooded by Sandy quickly became the stuff of opportunity and unsuspecting customers who bought the vehicles got taken for a ride.

To protect customers from unethical dealers hawking Sandy’s collateral damage, Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz (D-Brooklyn), a member of the Insurance Committee, is urging potential used car-buyers to heed a consumer alert warning issued by Governor Andrew Cuomo.

A link on the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) website allows consumers to immediately determine whether a used vehicle is a “flood car” damaged due to Sandy or other circumstances.

“If you’re in the market for a used car, a quick check of this website will save you a lot of unnecessary expense and aggravation,” Assemblyman Cymbrowitz said.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau’s VINCheck permits anyone to enter the vehicle identification number (VIN) to determine the status of the vehicle. If the vehicle had been declared as salvage by a VINCheck-participating NICB member insurance company, the NICB site reports both the date of loss and the cause of the damage.

“It is unfortunate that there are people out there trying to capitalize on the devastation caused by Sandy, but it is fortunate that we have a mechanism to protect ourselves against these unscrupulous actions,” Assemblyman Cymbrowitz said.

(YWN Desk – NYC)