Fake car dealership websites

The Scam

According to the FTC, scammers clone a real auto dealer's website, often using AI, copying brand logos, vehicle listings, and photos, and sometimes adding fake customer testimonials. They may advertise rare muscle cars or hard-to-find classics, describe the buying process in detail, and offer flexible return policies. Buyers pay up front, then find out the real dealership has no record of the order or payment and there is no car.

The Targets

People shopping for a car online, especially rare or classic vehicles.

Red flags

• The dealer insists on an upfront payment by wire transfer only
• The dealer won't let you see the car or the dealership in person
• The dealer refuses to let you hire a mobile inspection service
• Rare or hard-to-find cars advertised with unusually easy terms or flexible return policies

Your Move

• Search the dealer's name with words like "scam," "review," or "complaint" before paying
• Remember that a cloned site may borrow a real dealer's good reviews, so ask to see the car and the dealership in person
• If the car is too far away, tell the dealer you want a mobile inspection service to check it out, and walk away if they refuse
• Walk away from wire-transfer-only upfront payment demands, and report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov

More steps for any scam link: I clicked a scam link. What now?

Still circulating?

FTC September 1, 2026 alert about buyers who paid cloned dealership websites and found no car or record of their order.