Fake farm equipment sellers

The Scam

According to the FTC, scammers posing as farm equipment businesses are selling equipment that doesn't exist. You might see a social media ad for a tractor at a good price that looks like it's from a legit business, or search online and find a tractor from a business you know and may have bought from before. When you contact them, they send a purchase agreement and invoice, ask you to send thousands of dollars, usually by wire transfer, as a deposit or full payment, and schedule a delivery date. The delivery never comes: the scammer stops answering or makes up another excuse, such as a problem with the delivery truck.

The Targets

Farmers and anyone shopping online for tractors or other farm equipment, the FTC says.

Red flags

• A social media ad for a tractor or other equipment at an unusually good price
• A seller found through the top search results, which might be paid ads placed by scammers pretending to be a real business
• A purchase agreement and invoice asking for thousands of dollars up front as a deposit or full payment
• Being told you can only pay by wire transfer, gift card, cryptocurrency, or payment app
• Excuses about the delivery, such as a problem with the truck, or the seller stops answering

Your Move

• Before you buy based on any ad, search online for the company name plus "scam" or "complaint"
• Scroll past paid ads to the unpaid search results to confirm you have the business's real website or contact information
• Never send money to anyone who says you can only pay by wire transfer, gift card, cryptocurrency, or payment app
• Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov

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

Still circulating?

FTC September 15, 2026 consumer alert: the FTC says it is hearing about this scam.