Stolen vehicles are often sold to unsuspecting car buyers by private sellers. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, approximately 1,001,967 vehicles were reported stolen to the NICB in 2022. These vehicles are stolen and sold to car buyers by private sellers to unsuspecting car buyers or dismantled and sold as car parts. These sellers may, in the future, face the law for a theft they know nothing about.
So how do you know if a car is stolen? In this article, we will discuss how to avoid buying a stolen car and provide the best tool to identify stolen vehicles easily.
How To Avoid Buying a Stolen Car?
Cars are huge investments, and no one wants to see their money go to waste. Purchasing a stolen car is as good as throwing away hard-earned money and comes with legal issues. To avoid buying a stolen car, we recommend the following tips:
Don’t buy your car from just any private seller
Understanding how to know if a car is stolen comes with knowing your seller. Before committing to a car purchase from a private seller, make sure you confirm the seller’s identity. You can ask yourself the following questions:
- Is he a regular car seller?
- Is he a new one?
- Where does he live?
- Is he reliable?
- What do people say about him?
- Does the seller’s address match the address on the vehicle documents?
These are some questions you may want to get answers to before making a car purchase from a private seller. If the seller doesn’t want to be seen in public and prefers the mechanical inspection to be done in the dark, you must suspect something fishy.
Take a close look at the VIN plate
The Vehicle Identification Number is a 17-character string of letters and numbers that can be used to get the history of a vehicle. On stolen vehicles, the Vehicle Identification Number may have been tampered with. So you must pay attention to the VIN plate and make sure that it has not been repainted and that the VIN is original. The Vehicle Identification Number can be found in a number of places, such as:
- The dashboard.
- The driver’s side door jamb.
- The driver’s side door frame.
- The engine block, and other parts of the vehicle.
Take a good look at these parts and make sure the VINs are the same. In some cases, car thieves can steal the VIN plates of damaged vehicles of similar make and model and attach them to stolen vehicles. This is referred to as “car cloning.”
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Closely inspect the vehicle documents
Ask the car sellers for the vehicle papers and pay attention to the vehicle’s VIN, license plate number, and the car owner’s details. How do I know if my car is stolen just by looking at the vehicle documents? Some of the documents you may request for include:
- The certificate of title.
- The insurance documents.
- Bill of sale.
- Registration documents.
- Car service history documents, and more.
Make requests for these documents and pay attention to the car seller’s reactions and reasons for not having them. If they claim to be selling for a friend, try to match the provided name with the information on the vehicle documents. You should be able to tell if a vehicle is stolen when:
- The Vehicle Identification Number on the vehicle documents is different from the one on the car.
- The license plate number is different from the vehicle documents.
- The car owner’s address and information differ from the seller’s information.
- The seller cannot provide the vehicle’s documents or contact information.
When a seller cannot provide information about his place of residence or employment status, you should be suspicious and cautious, or else you may end up purchasing a stolen car.
Carry out a vehicle history check with the car’s VIN
A vehicle history check is one of the easiest ways to determine if a vehicle has been stolen or not. The VIN is an identifier that helps car owners, buyers, and sellers keep track of their vehicle’s information and histories. With a vehicle history report from Vehicles Report, you can gain access to the following information and easily avoid buying a stolen car:
- Accident history.
- Damage history.
- Open recalls.
- Service history.
- Maintenance history.
- Theft records.
- Ownership history.
- Vehicle specifications.
- Odometer records, and more.
With a vehicle history report provided by the Vehicles Report VIN check tool, you can easily expose car thieves and protect yourself from scammers.
How to check if a VIN is stolen?
If you want to check if a VIN is stolen with the Vehicle Reports VIN check tool, simply follow the steps below:
- Locate your car’s Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).
- Visit the Vehicles Report website.
- Navigate to the VIN check tool provided by Vehicles Report.
- Click On The “Search VIN” Button
Closely examine the door locks for signs of damage
Another tip on how to know if a car is stolen is to closely examine the door locks for signs of damage. If the door locks are damaged, there is a high possibility that there was a break-in. Look out for inconsistencies around the door locks and windows, and you may be able to determine if a vehicle is stolen or not.
Verify insurance and finance information
Ask for the vehicle’s insurance documents and financial information. You should make sure to confirm the provided information with the insurance providers, banks, and other necessary institutions.
What happens if you buy a stolen car?
When a stolen vehicle is purchased by an unsuspecting car buyer, they may face severe legal consequences resulting in loss of vehicle ownership, loss of money, or both.
Here are some of the consequences of purchasing a stolen car:
- You could be charged with a crime. Even if you were unaware that the car was stolen, you could face serious legal charges as long as you are in possession of the stolen property.
- You could lose your car. When a vehicle has been proven to be stolen, the police may confiscate it. In other words, you lose your car and money.
- You could be sued by the vehicle’s rightful owner. Every car owner has every right to sue others in possession of his vehicle. The fact that you paid for a stolen vehicle has no weight in such situations.
If you have identified your vehicle as stolen, immediately reach out to the police. They know just what to do in such situations. Be prepared to give the vehicle to the rightful owner when necessary and reach out to a lawyer if you are facing charges.
To avoid losing your car and the money spent on its purchase, it is best to look up the vehicle’s history with the Vehicles Report VIN check tool to get full access to your vehicle’s records and easily spot theft records.
Frequently Asked Questions
To know if your car is stolen, you can carry out a vehicle history check with the tool provided by Vehicles Report. With the VIN check tool, you can access a vehicle’s accident history, damage history, service history, theft records, maintenance history, and more. To check if a car is stolen, simply:
- Locate your car’s Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).
- Visit the Vehicles Report website.
- Navigate to the VIN check tool provided by Vehicles Report.
- Click On the “Search VIN” Button.
