KITCHENER -- Police are reminding used car purchasers to take extra steps to make sure they're making a legitimate purchase.
The reminder comes after a Guelph man inadvertently bought a stolen SUV that was posted on Kijiji.
The Guelph Police Service says that on Sunday, a 2009 Toyota RAV4 was stolen from Kitchener. That same night, it was listed for sale on the buy-and-sell site for $6,500.
The victim, a Guelph man, met the seller in Kitchener to test drive the vehicle. They struck a deal and police say the Guelph man bought the SUV for $5,500.
The next day, the buyer went to a Service Ontario office to transfer the ownership of the vehicle. Police say that's when he found out it was stolen.
The vehicle was seized and given back to its actual owner, leaving the buyer out thousands.
Before you buy a used car online, police say you should check the vehicle's history, make sure it's legally registered to the seller and make sure the vehicle identification number matches the paperwork.
Anyone who has information about this crime is asked to contact Guelph police.
