Stolen engine check

[Boza]

Just wondering if there is a way to check if an engine is stolen before purchase. A few mate's have bought engines and when they went to register they're finished project they had trouble with a few clevo's been reported as being stolen from way back in the 70's and 90's is there a way to check an engine number to make sure this doesn't happen.

[Tassie f100]

Sometimes engines weren't stolen but the same number was turning up twice in different vehicles.The problem being people would get a reco engine fitted and it would turn out the previous owner of the engine hadn't bothered to notify the Roads dept that they had fitted a different engine so when the reconditioner resold the engine and the new owner went to notify an engine change the number came up as being in the original vehicle still.

[Boza]

Yeah a mate bought a clevo off gumtree and it was out of a 79 ZJ which was stolen in the 90's when He went to go register his car it came up as a stolen engine from that car all he had was a receipt of sale from the guy he got it off with his name on it. he had to jump through hurdles to sort it all out.