As a result of the rise in car theft incidents, due to the growth of the car selling business, everyone needs to know how to check if a car is stolen for free. A lot of thieves still sell stolen cars to unsuspicious buyers despite the advancement in technology to bring an end to this atrocity.
Before buying a vehicle, you must run a check on it to find out if the vehicle is a stolen one. This guiding article will provide tips on how to see if a car is stolen easily and quickly.
How To Check If A Car Is Stolen For Free
Look out for red flags
The first and most obvious way to find out if a car is stolen is by paying attention to red flags that may come up at various stages of the entire transaction with the seller or agents involved. Be smart and sensitive signs, body language, and other things that may suggest that something fishy is going on.
A few red flags you should look out for include hastiness to complete the deal on the part of the seller, trying hard to lead you on into cutting corners or trying to distract you from following the proper line of actions, inability to provide complete proof of ownership without any hitch.
Always notice when the seller is being unusually too secretive about the process. For instance, keeping locations private, stopping you from getting people involved from your end as the buyer, and deliberately ensuring you never get to see the car physically.
Always ask For Documents
As a buyer, you should be allowed to do due diligence without any restrictions from the seller. You should have access to some important documents such as a bill of sale with the buyer and seller’s name, addresses, signature, the VIN, and the description of the vehicle. As a buyer, it is also important to request the seller’s driver’s license and other official means of identification for the verification of their identity. If the seller fails to provide any of these documents, you should consider it as a red flag.
Check the history and criminal status of the vehicle online
You can research the history of a vehicle using an online stolen car check which looks up the history of all vehicles that are registered in the US. You can use Radaris, which will provide you with all the information that will let you know the owner history of a vehicle.
Check with state motor vehicle law enforcement agencies
There are state agencies responsible for authenticating the ownership and legal status of vehicles. Examples of vehicle law enforcement agencies are the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the Department of vehicle licensing, etc. A buyer can tell if a car is stolen by running a 24 hours VIN check. You can easily check by checking the VIN on the VINCheck page.
Get a mechanic you trust
It is advisable to get a personal mechanic who you trust involved in the transaction. This will help you to be safe in technical aspects which you may not fully understand. Your mechanic should be able to help you check for things like the vehicle’s VIN consistency. The mechanic will also help you check if there are any changes or replacements that may cause problems to the vehicle, such as security components.
Consult with insurance service providers
There are insurance service providers keeping databases that can help you check if a vehicle is stolen. They can also help you to confirm if the VIN has not been cloned, forged, or transferred to another vehicle by thieves.
Conclusion
Buying used cars is legal and cheaper, but unfortunately, it attracts a lot of criminality. As a buyer, you should be very careful, pay attention to details when closing any car deal. If you are wondering how to check if a car is stolen for free, the tips above are reliable and simple to use. You can also use the Radaris platform to run a check. It is important to check if a vehicle has been stolen to avoid stress, legal problems, embarrassment, loss associated with buying a stolen car in the future.
