Thursday, August 30, 2012

How to not be a victim of purchasing a stolen car unknowingly from a private owner


So we bought a car back in June.  Got it titled and registered in PA.  Called yesterday to get scheduled maintenance and they told us the VIN number didn't show in their system.  Alarm bells went off.  So he instructed us to call the Police.  We did and then the dealer instructed us to check another location for the VIN (the car has three, the door and the windshield matched).  After looking for the VIN in the third location, it was different.  It did not match the door and the windshield.  Upon further investigation we discovered the windshield was not factory, which is no big deal unless you have a VIN that doesn't show up in the Dealer's system.  The door VIN sticker looked a little different.  The cop called in the VIN from the third location and it seems the vehicle was stolen.  4 black males held up a woman at gun point in NJ.  They replaced the door and windshield VIN and windshield and shipped it out.  The gentleman we bought it from (who lived in Massachusetts) purchased it from 2 black males from NJ.  So either he had no idea or was in on the heist.  Needless to say the cops had to take the vehicle and we are left with a nightmare.  Something you see on a tv crime show.

Word to the wise if ever buying a vehicle personally owned, call the dealer with the VIN.  Have it checked out.  Just verifying the VIN does not work.  Our VIN verified fine, as you can see we had no issues registering and titling it.  They will tell you if it is in the system and also tell you the other locations to look for the VIN to verify they all match.

Good luck with your purchases and be safe.

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