Vehicle title fraud is when someone sells a totaled or stolen vehicle with fraudulent documents. Sellers commit vehicle title fraud to make the title look clean. Make sure you avoid purchasing a vehicle with a fraudulent title. At Swift Auto Title Services, we can help you with all your title needs. You can depend on our Title service in Houston for your title transfer needs.
What is a Vehicle Title?
You receive a vehicle title in the form of a document issued by your state. This serves as proof of ownership of your vehicle. According to a legal point of view, if your name is not mentioned in the title, you do not own the car. Moreover, a car title can be a physical piece of paper or it can be in an electronic document form. Besides proving who owns the vehicle, it also includes a number of important notes about the car. The title generally includes:
- Issue date of the title
- Name of the owner
- Title document number
- Model and production year
- Odometer reading and the date when it was recorded
- Vehicle Identification Number
At Swift Auto Title Services, we are always there to help you with all of your auto title needs.
Types of Vehicle Title Fraud & How They Work
There are various ways used to tamper with the title, some of them are listed below:
Title Washing
Title washing is the most common type of auto title fraud. People use multiple ways to wash titles. Some do it by printing a counterfeit title while others alter the title document to hide the salvage record.
Title Jumping
Title jumping is another type of auto title fraud. It is a common practice among scammers. They buy a vehicle without registering the car in their name and then sell it to someone else. This kind of fraud is mostly done by unlicensed car dealers who want to avoid paying taxes and other fees.
VIN Swapping, Switching, or Cloning
This is a new way of vehicle title fraud. It involves altering the VIN of the vehicle in order to hide the past of the car from the buyer. Normally, scammers swap the salvaged VIN with a clean one. Thieves also use this method to sell a stolen car.
Swift Auto Title Services is there to help you find if there is any kind of red flags related to vehicle title.
How to Detect Vehicle Title Fraud?
Here are some ways to check the authenticity of your future vehicle’s title:
- See if the owner has registered the car in a different state. This is one sign of title washing. Ask the seller for a reasonable explanation.
- Pay attention to the print quality and check for any signs of physical tampering. If the printing looks unnatural, it is a red flag.
- Look if someone is selling you a 15-year-old car with a title issued a few months ago.
- See if the information in the vehicle history report matches that on the title.
