OfferUp car listings are local and quick, which is what makes them attractive to buyers and to scammers alike. Enter the VIN from the listing or the seller before you agree to meet.
Active theft records reported against the VIN.
The year, make, model, engine and plant read from the VIN itself. A VIN that decodes to a different car from the one in the photos is a cloned or fake VIN.
Salvage, rebuilt, flood and junk brands from any state.
Whether loan or lien records are on file against the vehicle.
Listing and auction photos published for the VIN before, on 70% of our reports.
Readings in date order from titles, inspections and sales.
Ask for the VIN in the app. If the listing photo shows it blurred or cropped, ask for a clear one.
Run it here. The free preview shows which theft, title, loan, photo and ownership records exist.
At the car, match the VIN on the dashboard plate, the door label and the title, and look at the dashboard plate itself for signs it was replaced.
Keep messages and payment arrangements in the app until you have seen the car and the title.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau has warned about OfferUp car listings priced well below market and sold with fake VINs or phony titles. A VIN that decodes to a different car, or has theft records, ends the conversation.
A seller who has no title, or offers only a bill of sale, may not own the car outright. Loan records on the VIN are often the reason.
OfferUp is built for local sales. A seller who cannot meet but offers to ship a car after payment is a common scam pattern.
Moving the payment off OfferUp gives up whatever protection the platform offers. Do not pay anything before you have seen the car and the title.
Decoding the VIN is free and instant, and the preview shows which history records exist. The full report, $19.99 once, shows theft records, title brands, loan records, owners, odometer readings and photos where they exist. It shows that loan or lien records exist, not who holds them; the title names the lienholder. Use the report to decide whether to go and see the car, and an inspection to decide whether to buy it.
See a full sample reportAsk the seller for the VIN in the app, run it here, then match it on the car and the title when you meet. Check that the title is in the seller’s name and shows no lienholder before you pay.
That the VIN does not belong to that car. It may be mistyped, or it may be taken from another vehicle to disguise a stolen one. Ask for a photo of the VIN plate and check again; if it still does not match, walk away.
Yes. The report shows whether loan or lien records are on file against the VIN. The lender’s name is on the title.
Not without knowing why. Run the VIN for loan and theft records, and expect to be unable to register a car without a title in most states.
Yes, with no account. It shows which records exist before you decide whether to buy the report.
Enter the VIN to see which records exist. The preview is free.