NTSR, short for National Theft Search & Recovery, has endured a considerable volume of scrutiny due to a peculiar pattern of complaints that emerge out of the wake of the services and consumer information acquisition practices.
Official Site: NTSRD.org
Reflecting an F ranking amongst the Better Business Bureau while exhibiting an excessive volume of negative reviews and complaints, NTSR is coming off as a shady security systems monitoring business.
To learn more regarding whether NTSR is a scam we invite you to read our honest review.
What is NTSR
The National Theft Search & Recovery (NTSR) company is anti-theft and security system monitoring business that deals with automotive vehicles.
Reflecting over 7 years in business, the NTSR is rather unknown amongst consumer demographics while most people report receiving initial contact from NTSR through postal mail – more often than not after a consumer has recently purchased a vehicle.
Among the recovery services that NTSR offer are:
- VPR Tracking
- Theft Recovery
- Anti-Theft
So how does NTSR work?
NTSR works by providing consumers with decals.
These decals are not designed for tracking but rather tracing the vehicle back to the owner in the event all other dentition information is removed such as the VIN and plate.
They state that it is highly unlikely a thief will spend the time and money repainting the vehicle to remove the chemicals that are embedded in the paint once the decals are removed.
NTSR does not disclose their fees upfront on their site.
According to consumer reviews at the BBB, NTSR has estimated registration fees of $179 – that is after a ‘waiver’ is presented knocking down the alleged price tag from $399 to $179.
Who is Behind NTSR?
NTSRD.org is owned and operated by National Theft Search & Recovery.
According to the Better Business Bureau, NTSR reflected a BBB rating of F with under a 2 out of 5 star rating out of 137 reviews (as of August 1st, 2019).
Detailed in their BBB profile, NTSR reflects over 7 years in business and is based out of Florida.
Physical Address
700 W Hillsboro Blvd Bldg 4 STE 107, Deerfield Beach, FL 33441-1612
Phone: (877) 222-0856 (according to BBB)
Shared below is the contact information we found at NTSR:
Sales Phone: (844) 638-5584 (ext 2)
Customer Care Phone: (844) 638-5584 (ext 5)
Maintenance: (877) 222-6105
Vehicle Theft HotLine: (844) 638-5584 (ext 3)
Email: customercare@ntsrd.org
Email: mainenance@ntsrd.org
Email: info@ntsrd.org
NTSR Complaints
Shared below are complaints we found at the BBB:
“misleading official looking advertising, lied about me visiting “licensed NJ dealership” unsolicited spam sent in official looking form with incorrect statements within regarding my visiting NJ dealership, and my most recent vehicle”
“Warning letting claiming my anti-theft tracking is going to expire on my new car. Threatening that I owe $399 because my anti theft tracking is expiring. I received 3 different letters – all with slightly different wording on the outside.”
“Sent expiration notice for registering new vehicle w/ NTSR, looked official, then notice fee. Received statement that my new Tesla had not been registered with the National Theft Search and Recovery database, with an expiration date in 9 days. To receive traceable decals $179 fee ($399 fee waived).”
“They are representing themselves as a mandatory service that needs immediate attention. This is harassment and misleading. At the beginning of October I purchased a motorcycle and this company is sending me out a letter stating “IMMEDIATE RESPONSE TO THIS NOTICE RQUESTED”. All in capital letters as if it is of urgency. It’s a scam to corner and mislead uneducated and susceptible persons to call in and disclose their private information. This company has no reason to be contacting me if I never requested their services.”
“This is a total scam. Do not respond to these people! Said they were waiving their usual annual fee if I signed up before a certain date.”
Domain Insight
NTSRD.org was privately registered on September 28th, 2019 through the Network Solutions, LLC registrar.
As of August 1st, 2019, NTSRD.org reflected a global rank of 12,829,643 with a US rank of 3,344,638 according to SimiliarWeb.
Due to NTSR rather poor web rankings, we do not believe the sites receives much incoming visitor traffic.
NTSR Reviews
NTSR reflected less than a 2 out of 5 star rating under their customer review section at the Better Business Bureau, shared below are some of the most recent reviews we have found:
“Well my dumb*** made the decision before speaking with my husband and reading the reviews. FAIL. I paid for it and immediately called back within 15 minutes got my money back so that’s good. But ***** the people for hustling me, I thought I was smarter than that!”
“It’s a violation of my privacy rights if whoever sells addresses without my permission to any organization. NTSR is just one of these companies that are trying to scam people. The responses to all the complaints are just proving their lack of respect and understanding of people’s privacy. Just stop bothering people with this nonsense. I can advise anyone here to file as many complaints as possible to shutdown such organization and protect others.”
“Fist of all, I’m not sure how this company suddenly knows I bought a new car. That is a privacy violation right from the start. It says they are not affiliated or endorsed by any Ford dealership. Again, how did they get my information? My car has a GPS tracker built-in that I can access from my phone so I know where it is at any time. I don’t need another company, who clearly doesn’t care about anyone’s privacy, to track and record where I drive my vehicle so it can sell me more crap because they know where I shop and travel. These people are as bad as Google tracking. Don’t be so gullible to fall for this blatant invasion of privacy. Total scam and waste of money. Companies will do anything to try to take advantage of people these days. It’s really sad.”
More reviews can be found on Tesla Forums.
Is NTSRD.org Trustworthy?
The unknown practices of acquiring consumer information is worrisome.
Couple that with the negative reviews, countless complaints and BBB rating of F and it becomes evident that NTSRD does not appear trustworthy.
NTSR Review Conclusion
How NTSR is acquiring consumer information we are uncertain.
The sum of negative reviews and complaints regarding NTSR are concerning.
Sure there are some positive reviews from users but as a whole it appears that NTSR is not recommended amongst other consumers.
Before committing with National Theft Search & Recovery, make sure you visit the review portals shared in our review above and browse relevant consumer feedback.
Verdict: NTSR is NOT Trustworthy
Site: NTSRD.org
Feel free to share any insight and experiences you may possess!
I would like to report that I was also contacted by the NTSR company indicating that I Have 15 days process the VPR tracking serviced and to receive complimentary police traceable decals. Either the Nissan Dealer at Cedar Park, TX or the Texas department of transportation are the only ones who knew about this purchase therefore they are the ones who inform this company about this car. I do not understand why they share this information with this NTSR company. Definitely it make it sound like it is mandatory. Do not believe these scammers.
To the people complaining about their “privacy rights being violated” and/or their customer information being “sold,” VEHICLE REGISTRATIONS ARE PUBLIC RECORDS!!! There is NO mystery whatsoever as to how this company got your information. It may or may not be a scam, but it is definitely an unneeded service. My car came with anti-theft tracking included, so I tossed their letter in the shredder.
Scam! I call and pretend to speak English well. Lauren explained the process and “fees” I then speak my English very well and Josh the manager came on and proceed to explain to me how it works again. He even stated they have Home Land Security and police chiefs as customers!? Please let ur family members know that it is a SCAM. I was bored so made the call and playing with them. Be warned and let ur family members +friends know. It was pretty fun btw and the best part? I recorded the conversation.