The purchase of a salvaged or antique car can be exciting but the potential for fraudulent selling practices is high. When my Grandfather bought his 1973 Corvette Stingray one of the things he had worried about was VIN switching. Each car has a unique identifier known as a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), normally located to one side of the dash, underneath the windshield. On some cars it can also be found on the inside of the driver’s side doorjamb.
In the used car markets there is a significant risk of being duped by “curbsiders,” people who sell cars outside of the law. One of the ways they scam people is by stealing a car and then switching its vehicle identification number. If a car is reported stolen then its vehicle history report, which is indexed using the VIN, will have this information on it. A sophisticated thief will thus look to switch the VIN on the car he’s selling with one that doesn’t have a history of theft. Curbsiders have also been known to forge ownership documents as well. So how can you protect yourself against buying a car that is stolen or, worse, unsafe?
The National Insurance Crime Board lists several tips to help prevent this kind of behavior:
- Look closely at the VIN plate to ensure that it hasn’t been tampered with
- Verify that the VIN on the car matches the VIN on the pink slip, the registration papers, as well as the one on the driver’s doorjamb.
- Get the particulars of the person selling you the car. Ask to see identification and write down their name, address, telephone number, etc.
- Call the numbers associated with the seller – make sure they’re not fake.
According to the Ontario Used Car Dealer’s Association, between 18 and 24% of all personal ads placed in order to sell a used vehicle were posted by curbsiders. In a 1992 study conducted in Barrie, Ontario, the rate of used vehicles being sold illegally was pegged at around 40 percent!
Antique and salvaged cars are more prone to this kind of scam, so it really pays to know what a vehicle title paper looks like, or to see the maintenance records of the car before you spend your hard earned cash. Buying a car without this kind of scrutiny can leave you with an unreliable and unsafe vehicle.
The regulations surrounding car safety, such as the requirement for accidents to be reported, or the existence of a VIN and title paper when registering the car for insurance are only as effective as the owner’s knowledge of them. Bad people will always find ways to get around laws and take advantage of others – especially in the burgeoning used and antique car markets.
It pays to know about the laws surrounding the sale of cars because it can save you money and keep everyone, including you and your family, that much safer on the roads. So before buying or selling a used, salvaged, or antique car make sure you check with your regional authorities. And although some places have more hoops to jump through than others, it’s important to know that it’s all in the name of road safety.
- The Thin White Line – Improving Car Safety One Piece of Paper at a Time
- How to Get a Vehicle History Report
- Emissions Testing – It’s the Law
- Emissions Test – The Basics
- Demerit Points – An Effective Deterrent
- Unsafe Driving Practices
- Speed Limiters Keep Highways Safe
- How Fast Can I Drive?
- Learning to Drive
- Hang up for Safety
- Safety Inspection Tips for Antique Cars
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The Dangers of Curb-siders