Buyer wants you to purchase a particular history report: check the request
Check a buyer-directed history-report request before entering information. Use official provider references and a blank decision record without assuming fraud.
General guidance. No specialist review is claimed unless named on this page.
Pause before entering personal or payment information into a site chosen by a supposed buyer. Ask which history question they need answered and why they insist on that provider. You can investigate the request without buying a report or submitting a VIN.
The FTC describes this car-seller scam pattern: someone expresses interest, directs the seller to a particular report site and seeks payment or information. That warning identifies a pattern; it does not establish that every report request or unfamiliar vendor is fraudulent.
Separate the buyer's question from the purchase demand
A request for the vehicle's recorded history is different from “pay through this link before I will discuss the car.” Ask what evidence is missing. Do not accept the buyer's claim that their preferred report is a government requirement without checking the relevant authority independently.
Avoid treating a professional-looking page, familiar logo or domain ending as proof of the operator's identity. Equally, do not accuse a legitimate provider because someone misuses its name. Keep the exact address in your private notes without posting a suspicious link for others to follow.
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Vehicles for sale (1)Complete the provider-check record
This original blank decision record requires no purchase and no vehicle lookup. It is a way to document why you proceed, decline or leave a claim unresolved.
| Check | Evidence to record | Decision if unresolved |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer purpose | Exact history question and reason for requiring this service | Offer to clarify the vehicle question without using the link |
| Operator | Business identity and independently located support route | Do not supply payment or identity information |
| Domain | Exact requested address compared with independently located provider information | Treat a mismatch or unexplained redirect as unresolved |
| NMVTIS claim | Exact domain and access category on DOJ/BJA's provider page | Do not repeat an unsubstantiated NMVTIS claim |
| Requested information | What data, permissions or account access the site asks for | Decline unrelated credentials, codes or identity-document requests |
| Product scope | What the provider says its report contains and excludes | Do not treat a report label as complete vehicle evidence |
| Outcome | Declined, independently researched further or unresolved, with date | No claim that a vendor has been authenticated without the evidence |
For US NMVTIS claims, DOJ/BJA lists approved providers and affiliated domains, with separate consumer and commercial access categories. Compare the exact address rather than a copied badge. Provider status does not authenticate the person messaging you or establish that a purchase is necessary.
The list is not a directory of every legitimate history service. The FTC notes that non-NMVTIS reports can contain other information. Do not turn absence from the list into a fraud allegation or use a US directory as a rule about Canadian history coverage.
Give a reply that preserves the useful question
This is hypothetical wording, not a real exchange: “Please identify the history question you need answered. I will not purchase through a buyer-supplied link. I can discuss the records I hold and consider an independently chosen evidence source.”
Keep the reply inside DNF while its contact restrictions apply. A claim that payment to the suggested site will unlock the buyer's offer is a reason to stop and examine the request, not a reason to rush.
If you already entered information
Stop further submissions. Contact the payment provider through a known route if financial details were exposed, and explain precisely what happened. The FTC's phishing guidance describes steps after information is disclosed and warns that links and attachments can carry harmful software. Recovery or prevention of misuse cannot be assumed.
Keep the message, address, transaction reference and relevant dates privately. Use DNF's reporting controls for the conversation. The published history-record guide addresses interpretation once a legitimate report is available; the vehicle inventory shows the listing information you can discuss without making another purchase.
Questions and answers
Is every buyer who asks for a history report a scammer?
No. A history question can be legitimate. Examine the demand to use a particular site, the operator and information requested without treating the request alone as proof of fraud.
How can I check a claim that a report site supplies NMVTIS data?
Use DOJ/BJA's current provider page independently and compare the exact domain and service scope, including consumer versus commercial access. Do not rely on a copied logo or a similar name.
Does absence from the NMVTIS list prove a report vendor is fraudulent?
No. The list concerns NMVTIS access. The FTC explains that other reports may contain additional information; evaluate the provider and its claims separately.
Sources
The pages we relied on, which have the final say. Rules, fees and auction terms change, so check them before you buy, repair, register or resell a vehicle.
- FTC: Steering clear of vehicle history report scams (consumer.ftc.gov)
- DOJ/BJA: Research Vehicle History, approved NMVTIS data providers (vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov)
- FTC: How To Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams (consumer.ftc.gov)
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