Who provides VinSentry
VinSentry is a website for checking a vehicle identification number (VIN) and reading vehicle history reports. For privacy questions and other requests, write to vinsentrysupport@gmail.com.
What we collect
Depending on how you use the site, we may collect: the VIN you enter; your email address, optional display name, password, and language preference if you create an account; payment details such as amount, status, package, and the payment company’s reference (not your full card number); copies of reports you paid for or unlocked with a credit; technical data such as your IP address, used to limit abuse; and cookies described below.
Why we use this data
We use this information to decode a VIN, request a history report, show you the result again, keep your account and credits, send verification and password-reset emails, process a purchase, prevent fraud and overload, and remember your language. We do not sell your personal data.
Who receives data
To decode a VIN and list U.S. recall campaigns we send the VIN to NHTSA. For a paid history report we send the VIN to GlobalVIN. CARFAX is the main source; AutoCheck is a backup only when CARFAX has no report for that VIN. Those companies process the VIN under their own rules. Emails are sent through Gmail. If you pay, card details are entered with the payment company used on the site (Stripe or bePaid). For ordinary questions, write to us first.
Payments
Card numbers and other secret payment details are entered on the payment company’s page, not in VinSentry forms. We store the outcome of the payment (paid, failed, amount, and payment references) so we can add credits or unlock a report. Rules for unused credits and money refunds are on the Refunds page.
Cookies
VinSentry sets a cookie so the site remembers your language (for up to one year) and, after you sign in, a cookie that keeps you signed in (for up to 14 days). These cookies are needed for the site to work. The site does not load Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, or similar advertising trackers. Some actions on the page (for example starting a VIN check) are recorded only in your browser and are not sent to those tools. See the Cookie notice for more detail.
How long we keep data
A sign-in session lasts up to 14 days. An email confirmation link is valid for 24 hours. A password-reset link is valid for 60 minutes and can be used only once. Free preview links expire after a short time. A paid report opened without an account stays available for a limited time. Reports saved to an account stay until you ask us to delete the account or the data. We do not publish other retention periods that are not fixed in the product.
Access, correction, and deletion
To ask for a copy of your account data, a correction, or deletion, email vinsentrysupport@gmail.com from the address on the account. We may need to check that you control the account. We will delete the data we still hold. Copies of a VIN already sent to NHTSA, GlobalVIN, CARFAX, AutoCheck, or a payment company sit with those companies, so we cannot erase those copies ourselves. That does not cancel your right to make the request. This page does not replace privacy law in your country.