FAQ
Working with You to Prevent the Illegal Export of Vehicles
VINLock is a free vehicle screening service for freight forwarders, shippers, and customs brokers. Screening vehicles prior to export ensure that they are being legally and properly exported. VINLock works with the police around the world, Canada Border Services Agency, Customs and Border Protection in the US, and INTERPOL to prevent vehicle theft and fraud.
SEARCH RESULTS
When a vehicle is presented to you for export, you can quickly search our database and verify that the vehicle is exportable. The search results report will immediately tell you if there is a potential problem with the vehicle.
VIN DECODE
VINLock immediately decodes the VIN to ensure that the description matches what your client is telling you. Often people will put information on a B13 that is factually incorrect; for example, a vehicle presented as an old clunker may actually be a Porsche.
SEARCH HITS
The VINLock search results will tell you if a vehicle is listed as stolen, if it has a lien in place, or if it is a daily rental. We work with lienholders and daily rental companies to ensure their vehicles are not being illegally exported.
The search results will also indicate if a vehicle has been listed in a salvage auction, or if it is being listed on online auction sites. Some criminals take VINs from vehicles listed online and use those VINs as “clean” VINs for a vehicle that they are trying to export. This is called cloning. If you suspect you have a clone, VINLock can step in and properly identify the vehicle to ensure you aren't inadvertently helping a criminal smuggle a stolen car out of the country.
VINLOCKED VEHICLES
A vehicle that is VINLocked is prohibited from leaving the country, as dictated by the lender or daily rental company. VINLock will step in and seize VINLocked vehicles on the lenders' behalf.
QUERY HISTORY
VINLock tracks every query made on the VINs in its database. The query history of a vehicle can give you a good indication if there may be a problem with the presented vehicle. For example, if the vehicle was previously queried by the police or by another exporter, it might indicate there are problems with the vehicle.
VINLOCK REDUCES YOUR WORKLOAD
If you come across a problem vehicle, VINLock takes care of its seizure. You simply accept the vehicle for shipping. This way you do not alert the criminal that you have found a problem with the vehicle, and we can recover it on behalf of the rightful owners.
If a criminal knew you had a VINLock “hit” they would find another way of exporting the stolen vehicle. Once we know that you have the vehicle, we'll step in. We do all the work with the police, CBSA, CBP, INTERPOL, and whoever else may be involved. We can prevent shipping delays, handling fees, and seizure-related costs that you would otherwise incur. By using VINLock you will help stop vehicle theft, and we'll reduce your workload.