Don’t Get Scammed With A Fake Car Title

Is there such a thing as a fake car title?
A vehicle title is a legal government document issued only by a government agency. It’s a certificate printed by. In most states, the agency is called the Department of Motor Vehicle. Some states call it something else, and that’s an official document. It’s like money. It’s like any other certificate. You can’t buy one from a company. You can’t download one from the internet. A copy is no good. It’s kind of like a copy of a $100 bill isn’t worth anything. A copy of a title is also not worth anything. You need the original certificate, and there’s a lot of fakes going around.

Fraudulent Titles in Oregon
Here’s an article from Oregon where the DMV is warning that there’s a lot of fraudulent titles out there. They’re using Laser Printers and all kind of sophisticated printing technology to make a title certificate or a certificate of origin.

What is a Certificate of Origin?
A certificate of origin is the original document. It’s like the birth certificate for a vehicle. It’s the ownership document that comes from the manufacturer from the factory. So when you buy a new Ford Mustang, Ford will make a certificate of origin for that Mustang at the factory where it’s built. Some scammers are making fake certificate of origin documents.

Verification of Legitimate Titles
How do you verify that the title you’re getting is legitimate? The first thing you want to do is take that VIN number and go in person to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Don’t do it by phone. Don’t do it by email. Certainly don’t do any of these online VIN Checkers like Carfax or VIN check. They’re very low-level consumer based online database searches.

Limitations of Online VIN Checkers
They’re not entirely accurate. They don’t show anything about liens. Sometimes even the information on stolen cars isn’t there. The only 100% accurate vehicle records information comes from the government.

Additional Verification Steps
Another thing you want to do is take that VIN number in person to your local law enforcement agency. Police department Sheriff anybody with a badge and a gun and have them look it up in their system to see if it’s stolen.

Precautions When Handling Titles
Protect yourself from fake titles. Even if the seller is handing you a title, make sure it’s properly signed. Make sure that the name you see on the front of that title matches their ID.

Buying from Dealerships vs. Private Sellers
If you buy a car from a dealership, before you give the money, have them show you the title. Private sellers actually can be a little more secure as long as you verify that title and make sure that the person you’re buying it from shows you their ID.

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