We are selling a vehicle and I have been e-mailing back and forth with someone (local). They have asked for the VIN number so they can check with their insurance company. Is there a danger in giving out that info? Need quick response please
No risk, unless the VIN is invalid or has a "hold" placed on it. If the safety inspection was not performed in a timely manner, DMV can 'tag' the VIN and registration as a non renewal. Providing the VIN also enables the potential buyer to perform a CarFax check on it. If there's nothing to hide, this will possibly reassure the buyer.
First let me state that I doubt this is the case in this situation since Emma Caroline mentioned in her post that it’s a ‘local’ person who she is dealing with but actually there is a scam out there involving getting VIN from unsuspecting people of the phone or through e-mail. Basically how it works is the scammer finds a vehicle that is for sale in another state that is the same as the one he wants to get a ‘new’ VIN # for contacts the person who is selling the car and once he gets the VIN # re-titles the his car with your VIN. This is done to resell cars that have been stolen, totaled and repaired or flooded. I’m sure some vehicles that where flooded during Floyd got new VIN #s this way. A lot of states don’t cross-reference VIN # so the scammer is normally from another state then once the scam vehicle has a new VIN # and a new title is moved again and sold.
Which is why I suggested in post #3 that someone may be waishing to do a CarFax check. I wouldn't consider buying a used car without the CarFax report.
‘Laundering’ of VIN# can actually fool a Carfax report. Since the VIN # is stolen from a car with a good history and put on a car with the bad history.
It's funny that you ask this since my cousin, a Nigerian prince, is looking for a new car. He will gladly pay your asking price plus $10,000 if you send him the VIN plus your credit card number- you can trust him- he has a very honest face... You are wise to be suspicious these days!
This summer we were selling my van and I kept getting e-mail from this guy in Brazil who was moving to the states and was interested. I really blew him off but did keep e-mailing him. He told this story of how he was a doctor and he was moving to Chapel Hill to take more medical school classes. I kept waiting for the offer of a cashiers check--but low and behold he really did just move from Brazil is living in Chapel Hill and going to med school and paid me cash and drove away in my van. I was totally surprised because it seemed like such an obvious scam--but he was for real. There days you really never know.
