LOL! I can see it now: Uh yeah, Mr. Manson? This is the LAPD... just wanted to let you know we'll be coming around in the next day or two to arrest you.
at least 10 years back a friend bought a camaro with clear title an registered and insured the car, He had the car for about 3 years when the police came knocking at his door. The camaro ended up being stolen and the police impounded it. He went to his insurance co and explained that he had bought the car and had no idea it was stolen and that the dmv and insurance co renewed each year. I dont know how or why but the insurance co paid his claim for the loss of the camaro that was impounded
if they want it.take the side of the case off that has the numbers,,or if the frame haas the numbers give them that only...they cant prove that the other parts are stolen..it sounds bad but its legal even if they say no....they prob have no pictures of the bike pre stolen ,so its your word against theres and the parts will be under your bed,,,dont knuckle under to them ,,,,,,i know it can be done
I agree. sounds like they should be held to some liability, they are somewhat complicit in the deal, they were insuring, and the dmv was re-registering the vehicle to him..it should have never gotten this far. 3 years..thats crazy
This scam seems to be popping up more and more. Buyer travels 3 states to buy a project car, truck, bike. The seller knowing that the new owner will not be registering the project anytime soon, reports it stolen. The new owner didn't register the project, and after a few years sells the project to the next new owner. new owner stalls for a few years and sells again. New owner finishes project and registers vehicle, title come back stolen, police knocking on the door, takes car gives back to person filing the claim.
i've been in for a VIN inspection in California and had my bike rolled into their impound due to a number being "suspect"... it was 100% legit, but took over a month to get the bike back. had a very similar situation when pulled over in my old '54 chevy... it was titled in my name for a couple years in CA, officer said the VIN came back as being a stolen car. The officer was actually really nice about the whole thing. He said it seemed odd that i'd had it 3 years, it's been titled/registered/insured that whole time and just now something is coming up... A detective actually pulled up. He was pretty cool, too... spent 45 minutes talking to them. i ended up being able to leave with the car, just had to get another VIN inspection and deal with some paperwork. In the end everything was kosher; the car HAD been stolen some time in the past in AZ, recovered and rebuilt... though a non-branded title in CA was issued and the AZ records never updated. Big pain in the ass and pretty stressful. I do a VIN check through the local police department before buying cars, now... but i don't exactly have 100% confidence in it. I heard that AAA would do "national" checks for their members, at least at one point.
A buddy of mine had a funny one a few years ago, he had an old S10 pickup that his guys used at the golf course he maintained, it got stolen from the yard at the course, was reported, but only had liability on it, so no payoff, just too bad. So about a year later, he gets a call from the CHP, they had recovered his stolen truck, and he could pick it up at the impound yard for the towing and storage fees- so he pays about $150, and hauls it home, thinking wow, that black truck used to be red, I guess the thieves painted it, plates are still on it. So about a moth later, he's trying to get it re-registered, has his original registration and the paperwork from the CHP and impound yard in hand, and they tell him he needs to have a VIN verification done before they will issue the new reg. So he asks if I'll haul it down to the CHP office for him, makes his appointment, and another buddy comes along to help, and off we go. So while they're checking it, we're waiting in the lobby, and start joking with the receptionist and a couple officers about our unsavory buddy, can they keep him a while, must be guilty of something, taking a long time, blah blah- when the verifier comes in through the back door, and asks him into the back room- so we up our chatter, put the bracelets on him, do a cavity search.. He comes out about 15 min later, somber as a judge, and the verifier asks me to back the trailer through the gate into the inner fence so we can unload it.. Turns out it's the wrong truck, with his plates on it, and they're impounding it again. Yep, the CHP told him it was his and come and get it, apparently by the plate numbers without checking the VIN, he pays out a bunch of bux, then they took it back again, oops. Couldn't charge him with receiving stolen property, now could they, as they gave it to him I jokingly asked the verifier if he could at least have his plates back, said sure, unbolted them and handed them to him
So tell them it was parked out front for pickup, and was stolen......again! Then take it from there with the title you have, and a cheap set of HF stamps. But, it's a scam to start with. Butch/56sedandelivery.
Be very careful when you buy something like an old car. A friend of mine bought a VERY nice '66 Mustang convertible several years ago at a fair price. The car was show quality and just what he always wanted. He had local cops check the VIN prior to buying it, and it checked out clean. But about a year down the road, the FBI showed up at his doorstep, checked the VIN and took the car, explaining that it was stolen. Seems the guy he bought the car from was a huge car thief, and routinely stole cars from one-day outdoor shows in broad daylight. He stole mostly '60's Mustangs and had a large selection of master keys. Since nobody really knows the guy parked next to them, he would just watch the car a while, get in like he owned it, fire it up and drive out. He once stole a '69 Boss 429 this same way. He also had broken into an Oregon DMV and stole a machine that prints car titles, so he had legit-looking pink slips. But oddly enough he never changed the VIN's on the actual cars he stole, which is how they tracked down my friend's car. Yes the thief went to prison and when my buddy, who had to take out a large loan to buy his dream car, asked the FBI if there was some way he could recoup any of his money, they told him he should feel lucky to not be charged with buying stolen property. The original owner did send my buddy a check for $200 for the car cover and the power antenna he put on the car as well as a nice note saying how grateful he was to get his car back, but he still had to pay back the loan for the car he no longer had. Thieves suck.
I had the same thing happen with 2 bikes. I was asked over the phone by the cops if i had them still. I did have one still but the other had long gone. I tore the bike apart in about 4 hours and boxed it up. They came and looked at it and did not want to take it.Now our state does not require a title and i bought it with out one.Just a legal bill of sale. Some bitch saw the bike and went to the cops with the title to it and said it was stolen from her now dead husband.....it didnt fly...cops said no good and i kept the bike. Same thing with another bitch that had wrecked her 69 stang ,i bought it wrecked fixed it and drove it for 4-5 years and gave it to my brother. He went to sell it and she must have wanted another 69 and found out it was her old car...she produced the title and wanted the car. I sold the thing in 4 hours and told the cops to piss off as i had her signed bill of sale still. Both times i won but becareful. Older stuff i would tear it apart quickly...its worked before. Now if you were a thief i hope they catch em.
SERIOUSLY!!???!! The cops have (possibly) already contacted you, they know you have the property, so your "solution" is to part it out?? You look good in stripes?? Not doing anything for, say, 5-10?? I've heard stupid responses, but this one really tops it. Cosmo
A few years ago a good friends motorcycle was stolen from his garage by a punk neighbor. Bike turned up in Denver with a broken clutch cable. New owner, for $200, tried to title it and got caught. Told the Denver Police he would not release the bike till someone gave him back his $200. Cops said fine, you'll be charged with possession of stolen property. Seems he was happy to give it up.
Bullshit. If they knew SHE had it they would have: 1) Arrested Her. 2) Impounded the Bike. 3) Charge Her with Possession of Stolen Property. No phone call would ever have been made by THE POLICE.
I have been on both sides of this before. Be careful what you do here. If you knowingly dispose of, sell or destroy something you have been made aware is stolen you could be the one on the hook. Is it really worth a criminal charge!? That being said I do find it a bit odd that a Florida Law Enforcement Agency would call you to forewarn you that your bike in Georgia is stolen and they are calling the local police. My advice is to 1) make sure your friend has their paperwork together and can show where/when they legally purchased the vehicle. 2) Cooperate with any KNOWN police officer that shows up to look at the bike. 3) If you guys know a local officer give them a call and tell them what is going on, if this is a scam it needs to be reported, if it is real it needs to be dealt with upfront. The bottom line is if it is stolen it is stolen. If it were your bike that was ripped off a few years ago, sold a few times and then discovered you would want it back, I know I would. And I wouldnt really care who paid what for it, it was stolen from me and I would want it returned. Look at all of the stolen posts on here and all of the responses, hope you get it back, hang 'em, drag 'em behind a car....... None of us wants our stuff stolen, but when it happens we all want it back and deserve it back when and if it is found. That my .02 worth.
The original phrase, dating back to 1616, is "possession is nine points of the law". But, there is no standing in a court of law to uphold this precept. If it's stolen, it's stolen-no statute of limitations, no washing. Still, if someone comes to get it, you're entitled to paperwork and identification. Document everything and get receipts.
"...Yep, the CHP told him it was his and come and get it, apparently by the plate numbers without checking the VIN, he pays out a bunch of bux, then they took it back again, oops. Couldn't charge him with receiving stolen property, now could they, as they gave it to him ...." So you think cops check VINs? ... Reminds me of an auction sale some years ago by Boston police of impounded, abandoned vehicles. When a few buyers went to title/register their purchase they were told the car was listed as stolen... Oh, re the ex-bitch who got a replacement for a lost title... here in Mass a replacement title reads "this is a duplicate certificate and may be subject to the rights of a person under the original certificate." So rights of the one with the original title likely supercede the rights of the one with the replacement title.
Hello, Mr Gacy, Yeah this is Chicago PD, yeah. Just want to let you know that a couple of us guys are going to come by the house about fourish and sorta dig about the lawn a bit. Sure Ok, Oh yeah sure, we would love to have you show us a few magic tricks. Oh sure, we would be willing to put on some blind folds and tie each other up, certainly, be there in a bit. see ya soon.
"pull all the parts.... give them the frame and title" Would you be happy if that was your bike being returned in that condition?
i have been in the position before and actually discovered a stolen vehicle 2 years later back in the 80's a 67' elcamino that had been passed through 4 people and a bonded title had been issued. when we found the vehicle it had had thousands of dollars put into it and was the first time i seen a grown man cry as i drove it away. gotta say after driving it i was kinda glad it got taken because i doubt i would have put that kind of money in it.
You ever heard of a joke? Surely they've made it that far north? After 2 years, I would have already gotten paid on my insurance, and it'd be theirs now!!
The screwed up thing about all these posts is if it was insured ,the owner that it got stolen from has NO claim on the item.The day you take a check from insurance its not yours anymore.I still say strip it to nothing and let them figure it out. Been there done that. Most of this stolen crap on the internet is fraud anyway.
I know 2 people this has happened to. One guy bought a 'Cuda off of a used car lot, cops came to his door and confiscated it. He fought and was able to buy it back from the insurance company. On the way home, somebody backed out of their driveway in front of him. He never even got to the brake pedal. The car was totaled. Next was a buddies secretary. Bought a CRX off of a used car lot. Cops came pounding on her door. Turns out her car was 2 cars welded together and the back half her car was stolen, how they knew I don't know. Since my wife is in insurance, buddy calls & asks what she should do. We thought about it and wifey says "get a lawyer and tell them they can have their half back". She did, and it worked. They let her keep it. In both cases there was no recourse against the dealers, though I am not sure why. These were a while ago. Things may be different now.
I think it's pretty well established that the old "9/10's of the law" rule is hogwash. But I do wonder about these bonded titles. What if a guy buys a car with a bonded title. Say several years later, the car is determined to be a stolen vehicle and the guy then has the car taken by the police. Does he now get reimbursed for his purchase price because he had a bonded title? Does anyone have a concrete answer on this?
I was .told, here in Illinois, by the state police.... (my Chevy has a bonded title) That if someone claims that they 'own' the car (can prove it) They get the bond, not the car..........
The way Bonded Titles work, in my understanding of the term, is that the Bond is for the benefit of a previous owner who can prove a legal claim of ownership of the vehicle in question. It is NOT for stolen cars, but for "abandoned" or assembled from parts vehicles for which a title has been issued to the current owner. The idea being that the prior owner gets the Bond money, not the vehicle. That way, the now current owner gets to keep the car he bought and all the improvements made thereto. The prior owner gets the Bond money for the appraised value at the time the Bond was issued. As an aside, some of these posts reveal an appalling lack of morals on the part of the posters. Probably typical of the population in general, but disturbing nonetheless. Ray edit: godspeedbear is a faster typer and a man of fewer words, to his credit!
So I guess what I'm asking is if you legitimately buy a car which which several years later turns out to be stolen buy some prior scumbag, a bonded title is not going to save you from the $$$ loss. Is that correct as you guys understand it?
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