How to avoid scams when checking a VIN?

So I’ve been hunting for a used car and saw some tempting listings online. Some sellers offer to send a VIN check themselves — they show screenshots or PDFs of “clean” reports. Can those be faked? Should I still do my own check even if they say the car is clean? What’s the safest way to verify a car’s past without relying on the seller’s word?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Chris Barns 12 hours ago

100% do your own check, never trust screenshots or forwarded PDFs. I once almost got scammed with a report that looked real but had a fake watermark. Luckily, I checked it myself using carfax usa, and their system showed a completely different story — turns out the car was written off after flooding. Carfax usa is well-known and secure, so even if someone fakes a report, you’ll catch it when you run it directly on their site. It cost me a bit, but it saved me from a $9k mistake. Always get the VIN, go directly to the source, and compare what you find with what the seller tells you. If anything doesn’t match, walk away.

Permalink Reply by Karl Mozaik 12 hours ago

Yikes, that’s scary. Can’t believe people would go that far. I’m definitely gonna stick to checking directly through carfax usa from now on. Thanks for the warning — that might’ve saved me from a bad call.

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