Why do some sellers blackout serial number?

[Rolling Thunder]

Hypothetically, someone could just get serial numbers off instruments hanging in a music store. Yet they don't block theirs.

Ultimately, it's probably unnecessary.

I'd like to see how far that goes.

Scammer: that's mine
Store: here's the shipping manifest
Cops: piss off

 

[Greycode]

Related question. When people post pictures of their car (on a car forum, for instance), most of them blur the license plate. Now, could be for the exact same reason. But this is a number that is purposefully placed in plain view, and it's there for the world to see any time they drive their car. I don't fully get the secret there.

It is a huge problem in the UK. Criminals see the make /model/colour of your car on a photo, and clone your plates, and put them on their stolen car of the same make, model and colour. They are then able to drive off without paying for petrol (oops! sorry - gasoline), used for robberies, drug pushing etc... and you get stopped by the police.
Most criminals don't even bother with same make, model or colour...but then , no-one ever accused them of being the sharpest tool in the box.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

Yeah, posting license plates is a big no-go. Compared to guitar serial numbers, it's the difference between giving out a SSN and taking a "which Friends character are you?" quiz.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

I just had a conversation with someone about this and neither of us knew. I searched "serial numbers" and didn't see the answer so curiosity has the best of me. I never blackout or partially mask the serial number when posting pics of an instrument I'm selling. Why do some do some do some do this and should I be doing the same?

I always ask for the serial number so I can verify the instruments age before I make an offer so I don't understand the point.

Someone might claim that it's their bass and was stolen. When you block the last few numbers that can't happen, and the potential buyers can still see the production date.

 

[stefancaunter]

I just had a conversation with someone about this and neither of us knew. I searched "serial numbers" and didn't see the answer so curiosity has the best of me. I never blackout or partially mask the serial number when posting pics of an instrument I'm selling. Why do some do some do some do this and should I be doing the same?

I always ask for the serial number so I can verify the instruments age before I make an offer so I don't understand the point.

i guess they don’t want to sell their guitar...
you want me to drive out to you? you need 20 hi rez pictures with that thing shown clear as day...
you want to play serial number games?
i’ll take my money somewhere else...
no one has time for this...

 

[AboutSweetSue]

Yeah, posting license plates is a big no-go. Compared to guitar serial numbers, it's the difference between giving out a SSN and taking a "which Friends character are you?" quiz.

Aren’t license plate numbers in full view on the road? What is the difference between a picture and seeing them out in the real world every day? Serious question...

 

[kmon]

I post basses with serial numbers fully displayed. I'm just crazy like that.

 

[Zooberwerx]

I'd be more concerned with a fraudster lifting legit pics from the internet and posting the item "for sale" through a hijacked e-bay account or the like. Happened recently with a very expensive Ritter. The majority of the gear-purchasing population can spot the scam but there's always that one guy and that's all it takes.

Riis

 

[Xad]

Aren’t license plate numbers in full view on the road? What is the difference between a picture and seeing them out in the real world every day? Serious question...

Without getting into a discussion about whether license-plate cloning is a thing, here’s the big difference:

Depending on where you live, while driving around, your license plate is viewed by anywhere from a few people up to perhaps a few thousand, all of whom are in the immediate vicinity of your car. Maybe. Most people driving around don’t look at other people’s plates. A scammer driving around trying to write down or photograph them has a job to do.

Contrast that with posting a picture of your plate on the internet, where it is available forever, and at present over 4 billion people across the world have immediate access to it, either directly, or via software robots scanning sites for plates.

Exposing stuff in your neighborhood means generally that people in your neighborhood can act on it.

Exposing stuff on the internet means anyone in the world can act on it.

Making up a number here, if 0.1% of the population might do something criminal with the information, then, when driving around, you might occasionally encounter one or two people who might think about taking advantage.

On the internet, the same proportion represents more than 4 million people who have access, and might take action.

It boils down to this: the internet represents a much, much larger pool of potential bad actors than where you live, no matter where you live. Add to that the fact that your stuff stays on the internet forever, and can be collected, analyzed, and sold by software. As a result, the probability of something bad happening with your information on the internet is simply much, much higher.

 

[AboutSweetSue]

Without getting into a discussion about whether license-plate cloning is a thing, here’s the big difference:

Depending on where you live, while driving around, your license plate is viewed by anywhere from a few people up to perhaps a few thousand, all of whom are in the immediate vicinity of your car. Maybe. Most people driving around don’t look at other people’s plates. A scammer driving around trying to write down or photograph them has a job to do.

Contrast that with posting a picture of your plate on the internet, where it is available forever, and at present over 4 billion people across the world have immediate access to it, either directly, or via software robots scanning sites for plates.

Exposing stuff in your neighborhood means generally that people in your neighborhood can act on it.

Exposing stuff on the internet means anyone in the world can act on it.

Making up a number here, if 0.1% of the population might do something criminal with the information, then, when driving around, you might occasionally encounter one or two people who might think about taking advantage.

On the internet, the same proportion represents more than 4 million people who have access, and might take action.

It boils down to this: the internet represents a much, much larger pool of potential bad actors than where you live, no matter where you live. Add to that the fact that your stuff stays on the internet forever, and can be collected, analyzed, and sold by software. As a result, the probability of something bad happening with your information on the internet is simply much, much higher.

Although I think the potential risk is exaggerated, the reasoning makes sense. Given the option of blurring out or not, I suppose it makes more sense to blur if even to lower the risk by a small percentage.

 

[gln1955]

Although I think the potential risk is exaggerated, the reasoning makes sense. Given the option of blurring out or not, I suppose it makes more sense to blur if even to lower the risk by a small percentage.

I suppose one could have quite a business, driving around and photographing everyone's license plate and selling that info on the web. Never heard of that happening, so yeah, the risk seems immensely overblown.

 

[Altitude]

It is a huge problem in the UK. Criminals see the make /model/colour of your car on a photo, and clone your plates, and put them on their stolen car of the same make, model and colour. They are then able to drive off without paying for petrol (oops! sorry - gasoline), used for robberies, drug pushing etc... and you get stopped by the police.
Most criminals don't even bother with same make, model or colour...but then , no-one ever accused them of being the sharpest tool in the box.

Hm. Creative, I guess. Sounds like a tough con to make work if you'd need the same make/model/color. Maybe these guys just work the large numbers until they find a fit. And, again, the risk is there in much larger measure when you're simply driving down the street showing everyone your license plate.

 

[alembicguy]

Paranoia

 

[pappabass]

Fake a bill of sale with with your serial #, report it as stolen..

 

[moreblues]

Probably because they are either Paranoid, worrywarts or both...
Or maybe they are flipping it for a profit and are trying to hide that...
I would not buy a bass without knowing the serial # and when I see one for sale with it blacked out I just pass by it...

 

[AboutSweetSue]

Fake a bill of sale with with your serial #, report it as stolen..

Records offices would immediately squash that attempt.

 

[john_g]

No problem blacking out serial numbers in ads, Ive seen several fake ads (there were at least 2 when i was trying to buy my Wal several years ago) but will provide real pics/numbers to people genuinely interested in buying. Tire-kickers can spend their time wondering what the bass weighs.

 

[Greycode]

Hm. Creative, I guess. Sounds like a tough con to make work if you'd need the same make/model/color. Maybe these guys just work the large numbers until they find a fit. And, again, the risk is there in much larger measure when you're simply driving down the street showing everyone your license plate.

Sorry, this is off subject, but - UK is camera mad - There is a system called ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) allowing Cameras on Motorways (Freeways) in police cars and city centres to automatically read your number plate and tell if the car is taxed, insured and tested by being connected to the various databases. If your car is road legal, then if your plate is cloned on a criminals car, their car will not give an alert on ANPR.