When people put their car up for sale on eBay.....

[tvguy]

Why do they photoshop or white out the license plate number in the photos they post? eBay requires you to post the VIN. And license plates and VIN numbers are visable to anyone walking by the car in a parking lot, so it's not like you're hiding something secret.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

It is so people do not get your personal information by running your plates. The audience on the internet is more risky with your personal info than someone in a parking lot.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Hmmmm, interesting....could be totally off but...when you put a plate number, its like publishing your name address etc...but a VIN more or less follows the vehicles "life"....I agree though, eventually all the info becomes public...who knows

 

[dodukes]

agree tot he top, when i post pics of my car i also white out the tag, its just a little more private, nobody can find out your address that way. your vin doesnt neccesarily lead someone to you but your tag can and you just never know whos looking online..

 

[tvguy]

agree tot he top, when i post pics of my car i also white out the tag, its just a little more private, nobody can find out your address that way. your vin doesnt neccesarily lead someone to you but your tag can and you just never know whos looking online..

It may vary from state to state. In California I can walk into the DMV, pay a $5 fee, and get the registered address of a car with either the VIN or license plate.

 

[mamacatnv]

You need a VIN to run a Carfax report. The Report does not contain any type of owner information other than the approximate geographical location of registration activity. VIN's in general do not give you immediate access to the owner, their name, address etc.

 

[tvguy]

You need a VIN to run a Carfax report. The Report does not contain any type of owner information other than the approximate geographical location of registration activity. VIN's in general do not give you immediate access to the owner, their name, address etc.

Must vary from state to state then.

 

[LBIJim]

It may vary from state to state. In California I can walk into the DMV, pay a $5 fee, and get the registered address of a car with either the VIN or license plate.

I'll take your word for it, but I thought I read some years ago that California stopped making it so easy to get personal information from a license plate.
I think there was some creep who was obsessed with a minor actress, saw her getting into a car, and got her address from the DMV from her license plate. He then stalked her and shot and killed her when she opened her front door when he knocked.

Jim

 

[Becky2005]

Plus, at least in our state, licenses plates can be transferred to other cars. You can't do that with a VIN.

I have had the same plate # since I bought my first car & it's not a specialized one but it's just followed me with each car (as long as it's the same class of vehicle -- I couldn't go put it on a motorcycle or something).

 

[tvguy]

I'll take your word for it, but I thought I read some years ago that California stopped making it so easy to get personal information from a license plate.
I think there was some creep who was obsessed with a minor actress, saw her getting into a car, and got her address from the DMV from her license plate. He then stalked her and shot and killed her when she opened her front door when he knocked.

Jim

That would be Rebecca Schaeffer. The gunman hired a private investigator to get her home address from the DMV from her Driver's License, not her vehicle license plate.
The laws regarding such information did change after the Rebecca Schaeffer homicide, and you can no longer get an address from a Drivers License from DMV.
And if you request the address from a license plate, you have to identify yourself, and DMV sends notification to the owner of the car, telling them that you (they give them your name ) have requested that information, but you can still get that address. The reason they still do this is, there are still are many instances where someone has a legitimate reason to get that address of a vehicle. A hit and run on private property, or an abandoned car on private property, where police would not respond because it is a civil matter.