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[guppytrash]

So I am buying a slightly used motorcycle out of state.  It is not an HD.
But I thought I would run this past the good folks of CVOHARLEY.
The price is great and the seller seems good.  Almost too good.
He has texted me pictures of the bike as well as the title. 

Now the red flag.... he wants me to send him a picture of my drivers license so he can fill out the title.
I have not done this.  Seems like a good way to hand over to much info to someone I don't know.
Am I paranoid or is this guy an identity thief?

Title has VIN number and I was going to call DMV to verify.
What else should I be cautious of?

[JCZ]

No way in hell I'd send a photo of my drivers license. 

You might want to get somebody from this forum that lives close by to go look at the bike for you.  But at the most, I'd tell him to sign off on the title and send a bill of sale and you'll take care of the registration on your end.

Have you done a google search on the seller?  Is it a business?  If not, then how is he doing the registration?  To many red flags here for me.  Listen to your gutt instincts.

[Mandrew13]

No, doesn't sound right to me.
I would not send a photo copy of my DL. The seller may be legit, but there have certainly been cases of DL misuse/theft (like providing your DL info when they get popped for something) and of using DL info to open new accounts.
If he is trying to protect himself in the title transfer, there are other methods.

[Fired00d]

Totally agree w/JC and Mandrew post above... don't send him any of your personal information. IMO he's "phishing" and hoping you'll swallow the bait.

 
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
 

[ultrarider123]

I think JC has a great idea.  Have someone you know, from the forum, or other means go by and look at the bike OR better yet, just tell the seller you have a friend that will be coming by to look it over and see how they respond.  If they are good with it, may be legit but I'd still not send a copy of my license.  Won't take that much longer to do all of that in person. 
However, if the seller balks at the idea someone is coming by, you just answered your gut feeling.
As you state, the guy may be genuine but there are ways to verify things like that.  These days with all the scams out there, it pays to be as careful as possible.

Good luck with this whichever way it goes and make sure to post a couple pics of the new ride if this transaction ends that way.

[tysndys]

Are you going to pick it up in person? Every grocery store has a bank in it. Make the meet during business hours and work it then. Don't give out info.

[Twolanerider]

He's shown a copy of the front of the title.  Now ask him for a copy of the back of the title to prove there's a line requiring a driver's license number (there's not, not in any state of the Union).  Then you've got him nailed down also.

[D-N-D]

No way do not send any personal info unless your dealing with a dealer, if private party do all info swapping in person if it's needed at all.

[dartman]

He's shown a copy of the front of the title.  Now ask him for a copy of the back of the title to prove there's a line requiring a driver's license number (there's not, not in any state of the Union).  Then you've got him nailed down also.

No need for Drivers Lisc info on title as stated above, usually if something sounds too good to be true it is, ask him why he needs it.

[grc]

Before you blow this off as a possible scam or identity theft attempt, try talking to the guy and see why he thinks he needs a copy of your driver's license.  Just as you are approaching this with caution and suspicion, he may be doing the same thing from his side of the transaction and just wants to verify he's dealing with a legitimate buyer who isn't going to stiff him.  There are better ways of course than asking for your driver's license, but perhaps he is new to the entire "for sale by owner" minefield.

If you really want this bike and are convinced it's a great deal, but both sides are worried about possibly being victimized, maybe you need to get a third party like a lawyer or a banker involved to handle the actual exchange of funds and title.

Just a thought.

Jerry

[rheiner]

When you call the DMV make sure you ask them if the vin is owned by the person on the title, then ask the seller for his DL to prove he is the person on the title that owns the bike and has authority to sell it. Verify that the title you will be getting is the latest version with the DMV and that he didn't get duplicates and selling the bike to multiple parties.

[grc]

When you call the DMV make sure you ask them if the vin is owned by the person on the title, then ask the seller for his DL to prove he is the person on the title that owns the bike and has authority to sell it. Verify that the title you will be getting is the latest version with the DMV and that he didn't get duplicates and selling the bike to multiple parties.

Or better yet, complete the transaction at the DMV.  People running scams won't want to meet you at the DMV or at the bank the funds are drawn on if you're the one selling.  Much too easy to have the scam revealed in those places.

Btw, this kind of stuff is why I quit selling my vehicles on my own a long time ago, and don't buy vehicles from private parties.  Yes, it's more expensive to sell to a dealer or buy from one, but avoiding all this crap is worth a little money to me.  And there's a whole lot more crooks and scammers out there these days, as opposed to back when I did in fact get involved in private party sales and purchases.

Jerry

[doublerunner]

Before you blow this off as a possible scam or identity theft attempt, try talking to the guy and see why he thinks he needs a copy of your driver's license.  Just as you are approaching this with caution and suspicion, he may be doing the same thing from his side of the transaction and just wants to verify he's dealing with a legitimate buyer who isn't going to stiff him.  There are better ways of course than asking for your driver's license, but perhaps he is new to the entire "for sale by owner" minefield.

If you really want this bike and are convinced it's a great deal, but both sides are worried about possibly being victimized, maybe you need to get a third party like a lawyer or a banker involved to handle the actual exchange of funds and title.

Just a thought.

Jerry

Good advice. I have been on both ends of this just this year. I bought a bike from a member here and flew out of state to pick it up. When I gave him the certified bank check he actually called my bank and requested someone there verify who I was and the funds. To be honest, I felt it was a donkey move  on his part. We're all cautious, but being overly anal like that was insulting. On the other hand I sold a bike this year to an out of state buyer. He paid me with a bank check when he picked it up. Check cleared, no problems. And I never called his bank to verify right in front of him.

But back  to this deal, I agree, call and talk to him. Perhaps a paypal deposit will help ease him into it. But he should not need to see your drivers license

[grc]

These days certified checks don't mean much either.  The scammers have ways to counterfeit those with ease.  I hate the fact that our society has gotten to this point where we can't trust anyone to be who they say they are, or to do what they say they will do.  The days where a man's word was his bond, and a handshake deal actually meant something, are relegated to nostalgic stories and movies.

If I were to change my mind and decide to sell one of my vehicles personally, I'd insist on meeting the buyer at his bank, have him withdraw the funds and hand the funds to me.  At that point I would have to decide if I want to carry that cash with me to my bank, or hand the funds to the bank manager and ask him to issue a bank check directly to me with no reference to the buyer.  None of that BS of handing over the vehicle and the title only to find out from my bank a week later that the check was bogus.  And you aren't protected if you just call his bank and have them confirm the account has sufficient funds.  There have been several cases around here that were reported in the newspaper where that scam was run on people.  Before the check they gave you can possibly clear, the money in that account can be long gone.  Just because they confirmed the balance was sufficient to cover the check the day you called doesn't mean the bank places a hold on that account for that amount.  They don't.

Jerry

[doublerunner]

I learned my business from my Dad. He always told me a man's word is his honor. I deal with business owners and entrepreneurs every day. If you shake a person's hand, then that is your honor and you don't back out or rip them off, because that is a reflection on you. I guess I still like to believe that, although I agree that I see this less often. To this day though, I conduct my business like that. I have let people take merchandise from me with a promise and a hand shake that they would mail me a check. Most people seem to really appreciate that.

In my 25 years of being in business I have only had 2 people rip me off like that on business deals. One was a lawyer and the other was a doctor.... go figure.