Frequently Asked Questions

VFindR is a free, community-driven platform that helps UK residents report stolen vehicles, log suspicious sightings, and find trusted local businesses — all in one place.

It works by allowing ordinary people to submit reports and sightings that are instantly visible to the community. The more people who use it, the stronger the intelligence network becomes. Every report increases the chance of a vehicle being spotted and recovered.

VFindR is not affiliated with or monitored by the police. It is a community supplement that works alongside — not instead of — official channels.

Yes — completely free. Reporting a stolen vehicle, logging a sighting, browsing the directory, and submitting a basic business listing all cost nothing.

VFindR is funded through the VFindR Store, where we sell the VTraK professional vehicle tracking device. Revenue from the store allows us to keep the community platform free for everyone.

VFindR is currently active in England and Wales. We are working to expand coverage to Scotland and Northern Ireland.

As the community grows, the network becomes more effective across all regions. You can submit reports from anywhere in the UK — the more reports, the better the coverage.

Yes — always report to the police first. Call 101 (non-emergency) or 999 (emergency) and obtain a crime reference number. This is essential for any insurance claim and for the police to investigate.

VFindR is a community resource that works alongside official police reporting — not instead of it. Submitting to VFindR spreads awareness to local community members who may spot your vehicle, but this does not replace a formal police report.

Also notify your insurance provider promptly, as delays may affect your claim.

You will need: the vehicle make, model, colour, registration plate (full or partial), and a description of where and approximately when the vehicle was stolen.

No personal details about you are required. The form does not ask for your name, address, or contact information. Reports are stored anonymously in your browser.

The more accurate the registration plate, the more easily it can be matched to a community sighting — so double-check it before submitting.

You should only submit a stolen vehicle report for a vehicle you own or have authority to report on behalf of the owner (for example, a family member's vehicle).

Submitting false or malicious reports about third-party vehicles may constitute a criminal offence under the Communications Act 2003 and the Malicious Communications Act 1988. VFindR reserves the right to remove any report considered to be misleading or submitted in bad faith.

A sighting worth logging could include: a vehicle parked in an unusual location for an extended period, a vehicle circling a residential area slowly, a vehicle where occupants appear to be watching properties, or a vehicle that matches the description of a previously reported stolen vehicle.

Use your judgement. If something felt suspicious enough to notice, it's worth logging. The more context you can provide (location, time, behaviour), the more useful the report is to the community.

If you believe a crime is in progress, call 999 immediately. Do not approach any suspicious vehicle yourself.

Partial registrations are still valuable — submit what you saw. Even 3–4 characters combined with the make, model, colour, and location can help narrow down matches when searched by the community or cross-referenced against stolen vehicle reports.

Enter the partial plate exactly as you remember it. You do not need to add placeholders or formatting — just the characters you are confident about.

Yes. The stolen vehicle and sightings forms do not ask for your name, email address, or any personally identifying information. No account or login is required.

Reports are stored in a shared community database so they are visible to all VFindR users — that is how the platform works. The vehicle details you submit (make, model, colour, registration, and location description) are publicly visible on the platform. No personal details about you as the submitter are collected or stored.

VFindR operates in accordance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. We follow the principle of data minimisation — we only collect information that is strictly necessary. For full details, see our Privacy Policy.

The only page that collects personal information is the Contact Us page, and only when you explicitly choose to submit an enquiry.

VFindR uses only essential cookies and browser localStorage to make the platform work. These include your cookie consent preference and locally stored vehicle reports and sightings.

We do not use advertising cookies, tracking pixels, or third-party analytics that identify you personally. You can choose "Essential Only" on the cookie banner to confirm minimal storage.

For full details, see our Privacy Policy.

When submitting a stolen vehicle report or vehicle sighting, you may be asked by your browser to share your device's GPS location. This is entirely optional — you may deny the browser permission request and the form will still submit without any issues.

If you permit location access, your approximate GPS coordinates (latitude and longitude) are stored alongside the report and are publicly visible to all users of the VFindR platform as part of that report card. This helps other community members understand where a vehicle was stolen from or where a suspicious sighting occurred.

Location data is used solely to improve the accuracy and usefulness of community reports. It is not linked to any personal identity — we do not know who submitted the report, only the approximate location associated with it.

GPS coordinates are only captured if your browser supports the Geolocation API and you are visiting the site over a secure HTTPS connection. If either condition is not met, no location data is collected.

For full details on how we handle location data, see our Privacy Policy.

Vehicle reports and sightings can be deleted directly from the platform — use the Delete button on any card. This removes the record from the shared database immediately and it disappears for all users.

If you have submitted a contact form enquiry and wish to exercise your right to erasure under UK GDPR, please email privacy@vfindr.co.uk with your request. We will respond within 30 days in accordance with our legal obligations.

Visit the Business Directory page and scroll down to the "List Your Business" form. Fill in your business name, category, description, contact details, and town. Basic listings are free.

All listings are reviewed by our team within 24 hours before going live. We check that submissions are genuine UK businesses. You will not be charged at any stage for a basic listing.

The directory currently supports 18 categories including: Automotive, Beauty & Wellness, Building & Trades, Cleaning Services, Education & Tuition, Events & Catering, Finance & Legal, Food & Drink, Health & Medical, Home & Garden, IT & Technology, Pets & Animals, Property & Estate, Retail & Shopping, Security Services, Sports & Fitness, Transport & Haulage, and Other.

If your business does not fit neatly into any of these, select "Other" and describe your services clearly in the description field.

When you submit a business listing, we collect: your business name, category, description, town/city, postcode, and contact email. Phone number and website are optional.

This information is used solely to display your business listing on the directory. We process this data under the legal basis of legitimate interest (operating a business directory) and with your explicit consent via the form checkbox.

We do not sell your data to third parties. You can request removal of your listing at any time by emailing info@vfindr.co.uk.

VTraK is VFindR's professional covert vehicle tracking device, sold through the VFindR Store. It is a hardware product that provides active real-time tracking, backed by 580+ UK-wide response personnel.

The community platform (this site) is a free, report-based network that relies on public sightings and community awareness. VTraK provides an additional layer of protection: active tracking that works even if no community member spots the vehicle.

The two work best together — VTraK for active tracking, VFindR for community intelligence.

Use our Contact Us page to send a message. We aim to respond within 24 hours on business days.

You can also reach us by email at info@vfindr.co.uk. For data protection enquiries specifically, use privacy@vfindr.co.uk.

For store-related queries, visit www.vfindr.store.

The VFindR blog covers topics relevant to UK vehicle owners — including vehicle security guides (relay theft, OBD hacking, immobilisers), car modifications and their legal implications, UK car meet events and directories, and practical advice for keeping your vehicle safe.

All articles are written with a UK audience in mind and verified before publication. You can browse the full library on the Blog page.

Yes — we welcome community contributions. If you'd like to submit an article or suggest a topic, email us at info@vfindr.co.uk with the subject line Blog Submission.

Please include a brief outline of your proposed topic and any draft content you already have. We'll review it and get back to you within a few business days.

Every submission goes through a verification process before it is published. This includes:

• Content review — factual accuracy, relevance to a UK audience, and compliance with UK law.
• Image verification — all images must have a confirmed licence or be original photography. We do not publish images with unclear ownership or taken from sources that prohibit reuse.
• Editorial check — grammar, formatting, and consistency with the VFindR tone and style.

We reserve the right to edit submissions for clarity and to decline content that does not meet our standards or falls outside the scope of the blog.

It depends on the image source. Some images used on the blog are licensed from third parties and cannot be reused without their permission. If you'd like to use a specific image or article excerpt, email info@vfindr.co.uk and we'll advise on what's permissible.