The Expert Podcast

Episode Show Notes: 
  • Introduction to Curb Stoning (Title Jumping or Skipping):
    • A common used car scam where the seller skips proper title transfer procedures.
    • Often involves flipping a car purchased cheaply from auctions or private sellers.
    • The title is signed over to the new owner, but the title isn't transferred through the DMV, making it a voided title.
  • How Curb Stoning Works:
    • The seller buys a car at a low price, signs over the title, but doesn't get it properly transferred to their name at the DMV.
    • The vehicle is resold to you with the improperly signed title.
    • The issue is discovered when you try to register the car at the DMV.
    • The DMV may reject the title or even confiscate it, causing legal and registration problems.
  • The Consequences:
    • Curb stoners don’t have dealership licenses or official businesses.
    • They may advertise on platforms like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or OfferUp.
    • They meet buyers in non-official locations like intersections or parking lots, take cash, and give the faulty title.
    • You may face a revoked title, liens, or discover the car is a salvage, leading to extra legal hoops and issues.
  • Why It's Called Curb Stoning:
    • Sellers are referred to as "curb stoners" because they don’t have official dealerships and sell vehicles directly from the curb.
    • They operate informally, without licenses or proper business structures.
  • Buyer Beware:
    • Always check if the seller’s name on the title matches their ID.
    • If there's a mismatch, avoid the car—it’s likely to cause title problems, even if it seems like a bargain.
  • Expert Guidance Available:
    • Access one-on-one consultation with licensed experts for advice on title-related issues.
    • Get expert advisement on options and how to resolve problems related to buying a car with a skip title.
  • Takeaway:
    • Don’t buy cars with skip titles. Even if the price seems too good to pass up, the risk of legal issues and title problems is not worth it.
Related Resources:
  • Explore more videos on title scams, legal advice for car buyers, and how to avoid fraudulent deals.

What is The Expert Podcast?

The Expert Podcast brings you firsthand narratives from experts across diverse industries, including private investigators, general contractors and builders, insurance agencies, vehicle specialists, lawyers, and many others.

Many of you have been a victim of this very common title used car scam called curb stoning, although you may not have known what the name of it is. Sometimes you've heard it called title jumping or title skipping. What it entails is when a person is trying to flip a vehicle. They'll find a vehicle that they can buy for cheap, maybe at an auction, maybe from a private seller, and they'll take that title. On the back, it'll be signed over to them, but what they won't do is bring that title down to the DMV to get a new title in their name, pay the fees, pay the tax, and properly transfer it. Instead, they'll just flip it and skip it over to you and sign the back. The problem with that is it voids the title. The only time you can reassign a title is if you're a licensed dealer, and many times these curb stoners, as they're called, will just flip it to you, and now it's your title problem.

You may have received a title that's signed over to you improperly, and you didn't know about it until you went to the DMV. Everything looks good, right? You buy the car, you have a title, it's got the VIN number, it's signed over to you, and might even be notarized. You bring it to the DMV, and they reject it because it's a skip title. Sometimes, they even confiscate the title.

Why do they call it curb stoning? Well, curb stoning is called that because these are dealers who don't have an official dealership license. They don't have a repair shop license, they don't have a business or a building; they just sell cars on the curb. That's why they call it curb stoning. They'll put an ad on Craigslist, Facebook Market, or Offer Up, and tell you to meet them at some intersection or in a parking lot. They take your cash, give you a title that's not going to be usable, and now you're on your own.

This article from Autotopian is a great description of it. You notice the picture says "Buyer Beware." You really have to be careful when doing this because if you have that title, you could actually have the title revoked. You might even find out there are liens on it, or you might find out it's a salvage. Either way, you're going to have to jump through a whole bunch of hoops to get a title. Avoid these cars like the plague. Don't buy a skip title. If the seller is not the same person printed on the front, you have to check their ID. Avoid that car because it's going to be a title problem. Even if it's really cheap, you could run into problems getting a new title with your name on it.

If you like this video, be sure to click on a few others on our channel to see if there's other information that might be helpful to you about this same subject, or maybe even other related subjects that could assist you with your resolution of your issue.