Should we be covering up our vin plates? Is it legal to cover them?

 

From my cousin Vinny:

Every car's VIN number is inseparable from the vehicle's owner, and DMV keeps these data, that's why it's hard but possible to find this person by VIN. Yet, there are some obstacles: confidential information about car owners is controlled by the Driver's Privacy Protection Act in order to stop illegal purposes. You should provide the DMV only a considerable reason of requesting such data. Only government agencies like police or courts have an inherent right to do a VIN check owner search without limitations.

Source:

https://www.faxvin.com/vin-check/owner

 

One type of Vin Lookup scam typically begins when a “buyer” contacts you about your sale listing. After some initial questions, they ask you to provide a VIN report to check for title issues, accidents, or damage history.

But then comes the red flag. The buyer specifies you must obtain this mandatory report from a single unfamiliar website they recommend. If you visit this mysterious third-party site and pay a $30 to $60 fee to “run the VIN,” the report you receive will be useless.

Now the scammer has what he wants - your credit card details and personal information entered on that site, which he controls.

You never hear from the “buyer” again after getting confirmation you purchased the report. He disappears with your money and data, leaving you with no sale and an invalid vehicle history report. Criminals use this data to perform identity theft, steal funds, or sell your information on the dark web.
https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-al...y-report-scams

Another type of VIN scam starts with a For Sale ad on Craigslist or other similar local marketplace. Photos show a great looking vehicle together with its VIN, but it's far from you. You really like it and the price is right and you don't want to lose it, so you email the seller. He tells you that he will hold it for you if you send him a $100 refundable deposit and tells you exactly how to do it. You follow his instructions and never hear from him again. The car and VIN are real, copied from a dealer's website, but the Craigslist seller is a crook outside of the USA. There are more car scams out there than dogs have fleas.
https://www.carfax.eu/blog/used-car-buying-scams

If it seems too good to be true, it is.

 

There’s serial number scams too, among numerous other types of scams. But hiding your VIN number isn’t going prevent anything from happening, VIN numbers aren’t like banking passwords or access codes for safes, they’re available to anyone who wants them and it’s illegal to hide your VIN from public view, just like a reg plate.

The only sensible reasons for not posting a VIN on a public forum would be to thwart competing bidders or buyers.

 

To permanently obscure the VIN is illegal. Placing a piece of paper or whatever over it is not necessarily. Has anyone out there ever gotten in legal trouble for having a scrap of paper or whatever stuck below the windscreen? Place a small scrap of black plastic in the indent, like a broken clip off a pen if you're worried. Only the last six or so characters matter anyway.

 

So, omit the last few digits to prevent scammers from using the info to make bait. Got it.
Thank you.

 

When you export a Canadian car to the USA to be sold, some cars have to sit in a lot south of the border for a month, to check they haven't been stolen. You never know your XKR could have a USA history. (cheaper duties)
You may find a buyer to meet you at the Buffalo crossing and buy the XKR, on a trailer, right in front of the customs officials. I did that for a boat in Sarnia. It was impressive, and the service was good. I have seen project cars pass customs easily. Good luck

 

Correct. The issue is not the visibility of the vin or plate. It is the gullibility of the owner.