So when buying a used or new car what would say is the best to verify that the vehicle is not actually a stolen one?
I'm not sure how a new car can be stolen. You buy it from a dealership with an official title and few miles.
Never buy a used car without a title. Make sure the title matches the seller's picture identification.
Call your local vehicle registration office to be extra sure.
The article says the incident happened in Aug and they were buying a 2019 model year truck. So it sounds like it was a used car purchase, not new.
It is also suggested right in the article how one might avoid such a situation:
"Urdaneta also said before buying a vehicle, people should look up the VIN on state and other reputable databases. "
Where I live, the police have the online database of stolen vehicles.
Make sure the VIN matches the vehicle on the dashboard and driver's door jamb. Make sure to get the sellers ID to match it to the Registration and pink slip.
apparently thieves are forging those VINs. You would have to use a good scan tool to pull it from the computer.
Also your insurance company can check to see if the vehicle is reported as stolen or not. You can ask them to check for you before you move forward with the purchase.
