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Why do we conceal pur full VIN?
- Thread starter CalabasasKid
- Start date
Just a privacy thing. Your vin is pretty public, it’s right there visible through your windshield.
But let’s say I walk out to a parking lot right now. If everyone posted their full VIN I could just google that VIN and a post with a person saying it’s their VIN would come up. So now I can tie a car to a name online. Through other social engineering etc you can maybe narrow down who the person is and where they live etc.
I mean, it’s not the end of the world since with today’s internet all you need to do is google someone’s name and you have access to their address, phone numbers, all current and previous addresses, relatives etc.
its not end of the world, but I guess people just don’t want to give out more info than they need to convey what they are trying to say.
the other side of it, is if they complain about the car or say something bad, like slander, or lie about something then Tesla could know who the person is. If it’s slander maybe even take them to court? I’m pulling at straws here
The other side of that of course is that if something terrible happens, car manufacturer could suck up to them by giving them perks or sending them some promo stuff or something. To make sure they didn’t lose a customer and an advertiser (since Tesla relies on word of mouth). But I don’t think Tesla would do that. Other manufacturers maybe.
But let’s say I walk out to a parking lot right now. If everyone posted their full VIN I could just google that VIN and a post with a person saying it’s their VIN would come up. So now I can tie a car to a name online. Through other social engineering etc you can maybe narrow down who the person is and where they live etc.
I mean, it’s not the end of the world since with today’s internet all you need to do is google someone’s name and you have access to their address, phone numbers, all current and previous addresses, relatives etc.
its not end of the world, but I guess people just don’t want to give out more info than they need to convey what they are trying to say.
the other side of it, is if they complain about the car or say something bad, like slander, or lie about something then Tesla could know who the person is. If it’s slander maybe even take them to court? I’m pulling at straws here
The other side of that of course is that if something terrible happens, car manufacturer could suck up to them by giving them perks or sending them some promo stuff or something. To make sure they didn’t lose a customer and an advertiser (since Tesla relies on word of mouth). But I don’t think Tesla would do that. Other manufacturers maybe.
CyberGus
Not Just a Member
Sadly, there are also a number of scammers that will go scraping forums to get VINs, and then post fake for-sale ads. If the prospective buyer checks out the VIN with Carfax, it will come back clean.
Sunshine State
Automotive Enthusiast
Seems like an unlikely waste of time to search forums as they could walk a parking lot and get as many Vins as they want including actual photos if scamming an ad was their intention. People are paranoid for no legit reason.
dandrewk
Active Member
Scammers have software that scan forums just like these to VIN numbers. They can scan thousands of social media posts and pages in seconds. No doubt they will also get any photos, names, locations etc. associated with those VINs.
Rule of thumb - never post a full VIN or license plate number (or image of one).
Tesla posts the vin numbers of cars they sell, can’t just grab thousands of those from Tesla.com
CyberGus
Not Just a Member
True, the for-sale ads are the real gold mine. There was a rash of fake car listings on eBay a few years ago, where they would lift the VIN and photos from a real ad, list the car at a ludicrously low price, and then offer to "hold" it for you with a low low deposit of only $1000. By wire, of course.
In the DeLorean community, there was a shop that would not even talk to you without getting your VIN first. They kept a list of owners that had complained about them online, and if you were on the list, they would just hang up.
A little anonymity is good for society. For instance, "Cyber" is not my actual first name, but I'm sure anyone could identify me eventually with Google and a couple of beers. Or give me the beers, and I'll just tell you.
Sunshine State
Automotive Enthusiast
Dealers list 10’s of thousands of VIN’s nationwide on public websites complete with photos, as well as the bountiful supply of cars displaying them in parking lots. There is no shortage of them available if a scammer wants a virtually unlimited supply of numbers. People are paranoid with no legit reason.
CyberGus
Not Just a Member
You've clearly never been the victim of identity theft. The experience induces hyper-vigilance.
Sunshine State
Automotive Enthusiast
Your power of deduction has clearly failed you. I have been the victim of ID theft but it involved a bit more technology than simply reading the vin plate that is available for anyone who walks by a car to see.
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