An apparatus for verifying a vehicle in an inter-vehicular communication environment includes: a communication unit configured to receive a basic safety message and a verification message from a remote vehicle that is allowed to engage in inter-vehicular communication; and a controller configured to determine that the remote vehicle is reliable when the communication unit receives the verification message from the remote vehicle at least a predefined number of times over a predefined period of time, and to generate permission to utilize the basic safety message received from the remote vehicle when the controller determines that the remote vehicle is reliable.