In Pennsylvania, there are 40,000 vehicles stolen each year. If car theft was a legal activity, the FBI says it would be No. 50 among the top Fortune 100 businesses.

Now, police are warning of a new way thieves are stealing cars. It involves the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), which is displayed on the dashboard for everyone to see.

In the following Team 4 report, investigative reporter Jim Parsons put this method to the test and found out how easy it is for a criminal to drive away with a car. The report first aired April 29, 2003, on WTAE Action News at 11 p.m.

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Printable Action News Logo To Cover VIN (PDF Format; Adobe Acrobat Required)

Whatever car you drive -- no matter the make or model, whether it is worth $15,000 or $50,000, and regardless of the security systems inside -- it is vulnerable to a thief.

Ed Zito, automobile theft consultant: "All they have to do is copy the VIN number through the windshield. They can get that, walk into a dealership and buy a key. It's just that simple. They prey off the good will of the dealership by acting as a needy customer who lost their key, and then they get the key directly from the dealer."

Team 4 wanted to see if it's really that simple.

After getting permission from the owners, we jotted down VIN numbers from four different vehicles. Then, we went to four diffrerent car dealerships with a hidden camera. We told the same kind of story that a thief might tell: we locked the key in the car and needed a new one.

First, we went to a dealership and tried to get a key made for a 2003 Blazer. It couldn't have been any easier.

Next, we walked into another dealership with a phony story. Half an hour later, we had a key that got us into -- and away with -- the car. The key cost $2 and we paid cash. No one asked for identification.

Allegheny County police inspector Dave Walsh: "I'm not surprised that it can happen."

Walsh is a local expert on car theft. He says well-meaning car dealerships are perfect targets for smooth-talking thieves.

Walsh: "Just by what you paid to get the key -- I mean, that's not gouging. That's customer-friendly. You know, next time you think about buying a car, come see us.

"They're trying to build a customer base, but there has to be safeguards and security in this because of the fact you're dealing with such a valuable item."

Bud Smail, of Greensburg, is on the board of directors for the National Automobile Dealers Association.

Smail: "We would require identification. We would ask for a driver's license and a registration card for the vehicle."

Parsons: "Well, they're locked in the glove compartment."

Smail: "Nope. You have to have that, or we would not make the key. Most of the dealers that I know have that same policy."

They may have the policy, but three out of four dealerships we visited didn't enforce it.

At one dealership, the helpful parts department employee made us a key within minutes of walking in. No request for ID. No questions asked. And again, we paid cash.

This time, the key got us into the car but wouldn't start the engine. That's because the car has a "smart" key that won't work in the ignition until it's programmed.

Still, by making a key that opens the door, the dealership solved 90 percent of a car thief's problem.

Walsh: "The deterrent to any thief is getting in. Once they're in, it's all gravy."

Walsh says once they're in, even cars with the most extensive security features are fair game.

Walsh: "If it's the car they want, that's how they're going to be able to do it. They will jerry-rig the computer, bypass security and start the car within two minutes."

Police suggest that drivers place a piece of paper over their VIN while their vehicle is parked and not in use. By law, however, the paper must be removed while driving.

Click here for a printable Action News logo that you can use to cover your VIN.

(Note:Available in PDF Format only; Adobe Acrobat required)