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3 Ways a Free VIN Search Detects Fraud When Buying a Used Car in Minnesota

With criminals becoming increasingly advanced and adept at creating new ways to trick used car buyers, it can be tough to detect fraud, but a free VIN search in Minnesota makes it easier. The VIN is the Vehicle Identification Number unique to that car. Running a VIN search gives you access to any information publicly available and linked to that car. Not only will you have access to title information, maintenance reports, government records, and more, you’ll also have the tools you need to determine whether the VIN search that you performed actually belongs to the vehicle you’re looking at.

How Can You Use a Free VIN Search to Detect Fraud?

A VIN search can help you discover a number of different kinds of fraud. While combing through the records and documents that a free VIN lookup provides, you could discover that the car has been stolen, that the VIN has been cloned, or any number of other serious crimes. If you suspect that fraud may be going on, you should pay close attention to several specific details listed on the vehicle’s history report:

1.  Check the name on the title

When you run a free VIN search, you’ll get information on the title, including whose name is on it. If that name doesn’t match the name of the person selling the vehicle, the car could be stolen. If you buy a stolen car, you won’t be able to have the title signed over to you, so you won’t legally own the vehicle. When the police repossess the vehicle, it can be tough to get your money back. Save yourself the trouble by looking for indicators that the car may be stolen before you buy. Another detail that the title information could reveal is whether any special titles have been issued. The DMV may issue flood titles, rebuilt titles, salvage titles, and more, depending on the situation. All can mean that a car is dangerous, especially a junked title, which means that a car is considered to be totaled.

2.   Look to see if the reading on the odometer matches those recorded by mechanics

When a mechanic works on a vehicle, they include the car’s mileage in their records. If these records are entered into a national database, they will be part of your vehicle’s history report that is revealed when you run a free VIN search. Compare the mileage listed on the latest maintenance record with the reading on the odometer itself. If the odometer reading is lower than the mileage in the report, or if it seems to be too low, it could be the result of odometer fraud.

3.  See if any recalls come up in the car’s Minnesota vehicle history report

While failing to take a car in to get fixed when a recall is issued isn’t exactly fraud, it can be a dangerous situation for any potential buyers. Recalls can make a car unsafe to drive, and need to be fixed right away. But if a buyer is purchasing a used car, they won’t be notified of any recalls by the manufacturer; only the person who bought the car from the original dealer will. This means that the buyer could be in danger without even knowing it. When you run a free VIN search, pay close attention to any recalls that have been issued, and find out whether they have been fixed.

How Can You Run a Free VIN Search?

Running a VIN check is as easy as entering a car’s VIN into VINCheckPro.com and hitting enter. VINCheckPro does the work for you by combing through government documents and insurance records to deliver you all of the relevant information available for that car. The information you’ll get from a free VIN search can help you detect fraud, theft, and more.