Analysis of a Vehicle Serial Number Alteration Technique.

This paper describes the appearance and effects of a serial number alteration technique. The technique involves thermal treatment of the imprinted area. By locally melting the metal, a liquid metal pool is created in the imprint area that alters the metal's "memory". Existing chemical approaches (e.g., Fry's reagent) to number restoration was ineffective in restoring numbers altered or obliterated by this technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]