Is the dealership mandated to collect your SSN if you are paying for the car in cash?

Paid my dealer with a personal check. The dealer wanted to run my credit, I refused.
The dealer insisted, I declined again. Luckily the dealer was smart and finally accepted the check. I had the same deal lined up at another dealer. I would have walked out in a heart-beat never looked back. Don’t let the dealers push you around, especially when you have cash in hand. You have all the power. Use it.

I don't give my SS number to anyone other than my employer and the IRS, unless I'm actually requesting credit. I also have my credit freeze with the 3 credit bureaus, so even if they wanted to pull my credit they can't. Protect yourself folks. Don't give your SS number to anyone who doesn't need it.

 

Howard Clark covered this topic, said you don't need to provide a SSN if you write a check since the check clearing process meets the cash tracking requirements. He said the other reason dealers want your ssn is to check your credit status to see how hard they can push dealer add-ons like ext warranty etc.

If a dealer insists, head to the next dealer.

 

As a dealership, we run an OFAC (Office of Foreign Assest Control) report on everyone. That requires your SS#. That is for the terrorist watch list and is mandated by the Patriot Act. Any dealership that sells a vehicle without it can and will get in a large amount of trouble if they sell something to the wrong person. We do not run your credit report to do this. Furthermore, we also run a "Red Flag Check". That is for identity theft. It has a database of 30+ questions that only you would know. Examples: Previous phone number, high school you attended, county in which (insert previous address) is associated with, etc.

Do we run both on cash deals? Yes. We have made exceptions on the red flag check when you are submitting a personal check or cashier's check. A number of things will determine if we, as a dealership, make an exception. However, we will still require you to do some math if you do not want to give us your ss#. You have to add the first and last digits and tell me that number. That is all that is required to run the identity theft check.

And Howard Clark is a goof if he thinks dealerships will equate a high credit score to the ability to push an extended warranty. That just makes no sense. The only reason to run a bureau is to verify that someone is not running around writing bad checks for cars.

 

Folks, this is misleading and boarders on being a scam. Take note of how slick car dealers can be, they will literally say anything to get you SS number.

Please show me in the Patriot act where this is required by car dealers? It is not any way shape or form in the Patriot Act. But you’ve likely never even read the Patriot act, have you?

Also show me in the Patriot act where Office of Foreign Assets Control has been given any authority for a car dealer to run a SS check on an American citizen? It's not there.

I've purchased 2 new cars in the last 6 months with a check. No social security number was or will ever be provided for this type of transaction. Don't do business with dealers who treat you like this.

 

As I mentioned earlier, I wrote a check for my 2010 Prius in August, at Ourisman Fairfax Toyota in Fairfax, VA. They asked for my SSN. I declined to give it. They sold me the car anyway, without even challenging my refusal to give my SSN.

I'm with Carolina Dave. (And I was born in North Carolina, so I'm a Carolina Dave, too!) Don't give your SSN to a dealer.

 

The key here is the payment by check. No patriot act reqs for the dealer, because of the bank clearance.

 

I live in North Carolina but work in SE Virginia. We are required to collect the SSN at the time of registration of the vehicle. The instructions to everyone of our employees is that State of Virginia will not register the vehicle without both a state-issued picture ID and the SSN. It has nothing to do with credit-checking in our case. The Ourisman situation above notwithstanding the transaction stops if the buyer won't provide the two pieces of info.

As simply as several of you have stated it on your terms it's equally simple here too..NO picture ID and NO SSN then NO registration.

However, we also have an internal requirement. If someone intends to take delivery of a $20000 - $30000 - $40000 vehicle with a payment by check, whether personal or from another lender, then we are going to check that person's credit to satisfy ourselves that that person is a legitimate buyer capable of doing so. That person is not getting a $30000 vehicle on what might be a worthless scrap of paper. We do always get the buyers agreement in writing in advance before running credit. Four hours from delivery that vehicle might be in a container headed to Eastern Europe and we never see the 'buyer' again. That's the view from the other side of the transaction.

I know that no one in these theads would create such a scam...but until you've had 4 Prius' taken on false documentation you don't see the 'other side'. Losing a $1000 profit on one sale is nothing compared to losing time, effort, investigative costs and actual money on 4 vehicles.

 

I actually have no argument with this. I personally wouldn't have a problem giving over my SSN when there's a good reason. I was just commenting on the Patriot Act not being legally required unless it was actual cash being used. I'm amazed a dealer would not require a cashier's check or wire in these circumstances.

 

Paid for our new Prius II with a check yesterday. There was a place on one of the forms for SSN, but the dealer did not ask for either mine or my wife's. So we didn't give it. This in Ark.
I think the statement others have made that you don't need it because the check clearing record allows for tracing is correct.

 

After further checking I did verify that SSN's are not required to register a vehicle in VA. But either the DL# or the SSN, one or the other, must be used to register that vehicle. DMV has to have some way to associate an owner with a vehicle.

The other internal reasoning for our own protections remain as stated.

 

I paid by bank check and was never asked for a SSN.

I doubt that disclosure of your SSN is "required" by law and any reporting should be doable without one (such as DL number or passport number). As others have said, the dealers really want your SSN so they can do a credit check and get a bargaining edge.

For those that live in a state where your SSN is on your driver's license, have you ever noticed how long it takes for a salesperson to "photocopy" your license before a test drive? What they are really doing is running an unauthorized credit check on you.

 

But that's quite a different assertion than saying that the SSN is required.

I gladly proffered my driver's license to be copied. Virginia stopped numbering personal driver's licenses with SSNs some years ago.

I guard my Social Security number quite jealously. Nobody needs to have it unless I am getting ready to work for, or be paid by, them. I don't give it out when I buy something. Sorry. Won't do it.

 

I just purchased a used 2010 Prius from a stealership in Illinois, and not only did they have the price way high they did not budge because they knew i wanted it from the calls i made trying to negotiate a fair kbb price and also was driving from 380 miles away. They also did not mention the road rash this car had on the front of it and had this carefully photographed so it wouldn't be seen, when i finally said OK ill take it they also gave me the runaround with their company logo form that it was law to give my SS # and have a credit check done even thou i was paying with a cashiers check and the dealer fees with a credit card! I will never buy a used car from a stealership again!

Deal locally, deal privately, been doing that for 25 years since my first car and i agree with everyone who calls them crooks and thieves. There wore 5 young guys in this stealership and all talked and pushed the product like crack dealers!
my2cents

 

and thank you.

 

We are mandated to get a SS# and a current ID/driver's license and insurance card. We do not run a credit report or bureau if someone brings a local bank cashier's check, but we do have to get the #.

 

My dealership said the same thing Dianne said. Seems fair to me.

 

By whom? and why?

 

So why did you buy it? Next time get the price in writing before driving 380 miles.

See Consumer Reports magazine April issue or their website for advice on car buying.

 

Patriot Act.
Red Flag Law.

 

Yep. Good 'ol Patriot Act. For the good of us little 'ol Americans who are too weak to water that tree of Liberty every now and then, let alone tell a dealership to go F themselves when they pull stunts like this one....which is exactly what I would have-- and have done-- in the same situation. Its bad enough that dealerships sell credit more than cars these days and treat you as such if you have your own financing.

I only trust others up to about $100.00. After that, I assume they are trying to screw me.