5 Tips to Spot a Classic Car Scam Online
After years of poking around the corners of the internet, it finally appears: The perfect car. It has the right color, a flawless interior, the powertrain you want, and the price is just right. You contact the dealer, and they ask for a deposit to get the process started.
Whoa there. Before you drop by the Western Union to wire the cash, be wary: For every honest seller looking to pair a driver with their favorite car, there seem to be two looking to split a driver and their wallet. Luckily with a small amount of due diligence, you can find out if that dream car you found is actually just a dream.
We love finding good deals online, and YouTube channel Pleasant Green enjoys finding scammers. Host Ben Taylor recently posted a video tracking down a couple scammers who were trying to sell vintage cars. Included in the video are a few great tips for keeping your money safe. We break them down here.
Tip #1: Reverse Image Search
Pictures on the internet are incredibly easy to steal. That is what makes these scams so easy to set up—and easy to spot. By right-clicking on an image, you can trigger your browser’s “reverse image search” function, which scours the internet for similar pictures, often catching duplicate images or lightly edited photos in the process.
Scammers have been getting wise to this method, however, and are starting to do light photo editing in attempts to fool such search functions. The video above highlights an example where the license plates and backgrounds have been scrubbed of the original dealer’s information and logos and the scam business logos edited in. If you are still unsure …
Tip #2: Request a Current Photo
A dealer with a car sitting in inventory should have no issue with taking a current photo including some artifact proving they have the car on site. Ask for the local paper to be in the photo, or simply a note with the day’s date and the seller’s name written on it. Taking digital photos and sending them via email are basically free, so you should face limited pushback to such a simple request.
Tip #3: Look up the Location
Any reputable dealer or seller will give you the address of their business. Type that into your favorite maps software and let the ever-present cameras of the world tell you what you can’t physically see from afar. Does the street view show something that looks like a car dealer? Do the backgrounds of the photos listed on the dealer’s website match the environment of that street address?
Discrepancies between the photos in a car listing and third-party images of the address are typically not the most telling flaws in an ad, but they can raise a red flag and give you cause to look at everything else more critically.
Tip #4: Pick Up the Phone
Call whatever phone number is listed on the website and have a chat. A good salesperson will not come off as pushy, and they be happy to answer any questions you have about the car. There was a time when accents or out-of-state phone numbers would be a red flag, but as a person with a Kansas phone number who lives in Michigan, I’ll tell you that rule just doesn’t hold up anymore. A good conversation will reveal information that may be hidden if you make assumptions based on an area code.
Tip #5: Put Eyes on the Car
I’ve bought a handful of cars or motorcycles from sellers who were states away. Whether I trusted them or not, one stipulation of the deal was that someone other than the seller would need to see the machine before I sent any funds. Project vehicles, of which I’ve bought many, are an exception: Since I expect them to be broken, I tend to skip an inspection that will simply tell me what I already know. If you aren’t looking for a project vehicle, you’d be wise to go for an inspection if you value your time at anything above zero.
While traveling to see the car prior to purchase can seem inconvenient, it is the easiest way to prevent basic scams. If you are shopping outside of your own driving range or otherwise cannot venture to look at a car, put in a little effort to find someone who can and will. Reach out within a national club or group, and you often will find someone within range who is more than happy to have an excuse to go look at an example of a model they already like. I’ve performed such a service for people buying a car and it was actually really fun to be a part of the process, even though I didn’t get paid for my time.
In short, buying vintage cars is risky in the even the best scenario. If a potential purchase seems too good to be true, treat it as such until all the information you gather points to the opposite. Being respectful while being skeptical will serve you well: Even if you think the person on the other end might be a scammer, there is no reason to be a jerk until you have the proof. Even then, it’s best to report the ad or website and move on with your life, happy they didn’t catch you.
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While we must do our due diligence, i think 50/50 is a bit of over reach. I know when looking at auctions on bat , hagerty, and in hemmings most listings have very complete descriptions, photos and documentation. I’d still want to inspect the car myself but I think most are legit. I didn’t mention eBay because I don’t look at it much.
If the ad lists the car in Ohio but there are palm trees or desert scenes in the background, assume scam.
I also look at the season, if it’s March and the pictures of the car have green grass and trees with full leaves I ask for recent pics. If they refuse, I write them off.
Selling for a friend and don’t know much about the car: pass.
Artistic sunset shots of the car without basic exterior from all sides, interior, under hood, inside trunk or underneath pictures. I ask for better photos and if the refuse or get emotional I move on.
I have only purchased one car in my life without putting my own eyes on it. It was for a 1.5 year old 2016 Stage 3 Roush Mustang convertible with 6K miles. I am in Michigan and the car was in Florida. A very good friend of mine was friends with the owner of the vehicle. The owner was a semi-retired owner of a local Michigan Ford dealership and the car was at his Florida home. The sale was handled through his Michigan dealership. Not only was I assured by my friend knowing the car, but I also knew the salesman who handled the transaction since I had purchased several cars through him over the years when he was at a different dealership, so there were a couple people who I trusted who knew the car. I was also sent multiple pictures of the car.
Even with that, I was still apprehensive until the car was shipped to his Michigan dealership and I laid eyes on it. The car was flawless.
Another time I arranged a purchase for a vehicle with a dealership in Indiana with my trade-in, about a 3-hour drive away. We traded extensive pictures of the car I was looking to buy and my trade-in. Agreed on a price and a date when I would drive out there to finalize the deal, no money was asked for. Still I was apprehensive about some surprise when I got there with the seller thinking that I would feel compelled to still buy the car after making the 3-hour drive. That was not the case. The car was everything they said it was and they too were pleasantly surprised at the condition of the vehicle I was trading in. It was by far the easiest and most pleasant car buying experience I had, with the exception that it ate up a whole Saturday between the 6-hour round trip drive and the time spent finalizing the paperwork at the dealership.
Aside from that, I would never purchase a car without having put my eyes and hands on it.
Joining a Club is the best suggestion for long distance buyers. Not only will you be able to do research on the cars in general, someone may actually know of that car by sellers name or its serial number and have details on it. In the case of limited production machines, many clubs now keep track of the serials. Buying a car only a short flight away- which turns out to be in Canada or Mexico- can mean international hassles you never heard of, even if the car is legit!
A couple of years ago, there was an outfit out of (IIRC) Portland, Oregon.
Fancy website, physical address, very nice cars at fair (not bargain) prices.
But the address (as seen on the Google map as part of the search result, was an office building, not a place to put cars, and certainly didn’t match the showroom photos.
Also, if you looked carefully at the showroom photos, the cars had European style license plates.
Many of the cars in the showroom were rare exotics, not normally seen at a dealer selling 60-70s domestic collectable vehicles (“Hank, park the Countach next to the Chevelle”.)
In the customer review section, every photo was a headshot of a smiling professional model…come on how many of us have a big smile and perfect hair while taking a selfie?
In short, you didn’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to notice it wasn’t right.
I went to a “scam alert” website and there were plenty of comments, several people had bought fictitious cars for $30K +.
You felt sorry for them, but still…come on people!
Remember you’re not dealing with the local family owned Ford store.
I’ve been selling classic cars for over 10 years (26 years total in the car business) and scammers are easy to spot if you are not blinded by getting the money (in my case) or the car . Almost 70% of my buyers I never get to shake their hand, as our classics are sold all over the country and overseas. I’ve had the photos I’ve taken of cars put on the scammers site and offered for sale. For instance, I got a call from a buyer in North Carolina who said our Range Rover was being advertised for $20,000 less in Florida. I told the buyer to ask the seller for a ZOOM showing. It is one of the most effective ways of going over a car piece by piece and putting a face to the seller and buyer. The scammer seller dropped out of site with the zoom showing request.
The other scam is buyers offering to mail a “bank check” for larger amount of money than what is due. We ONLY accept a wire bank to bank for the amount on the purchase order.
Suzanne Dayton
Bavarian Motorsport
Kennett Square PA
Make sure they have a title or transferable ownership that matches their government id.
Get the inspection. Whether overtly or by omission, sellers lie. There is no political sugar coating the term. Whether it’s : “It doesn’t overheat” or “I just saw the heater core I was supposed to install and remembered that the heater doesn’t work” – stories on two different vehicles – get a thorough inspection, not just the kind where they go see that the car is actually there. I’ll bet that many transactions will not go through for the price when the truth is known
Caller from NY called on my 914. Loved it and mailed me a check. I told him car would not leave till his check cleared MY Bank. He OKd that – couple days my bank called and cleared the check, I called him and that afternoon two non English speaking fellows came by with a trailer and my Porsche left for NY! Very shaky deal but I watched it with a jaded eye😮
I bought & sold a lot of cars over the years. Only 2 I remember were sight unseen. The first was an MGB that photos showed to be decent. Price was fair. When it arrived it was pretty much what I expected. I then rebuilt a lot of the car & turned it into a strong street/race car. Had it for about 10 years & wish I still had it. The next was a Porsche I found online at a used car dealer in Laguna Beach, CA (When I was in Florida,) A lot of photos looked good. I called an officer of the local PCA who recommended a shop for a PPI. I arranged for it to be done, and a GOOD friend from LA came down & looked too. I bought it for a good price, had it for 5 years and sold it. It was exactly what I thought it would be—a rare (one of 567 that MY) and kept its value. I’d do it again. Current Porsches were purchased at local dealers because they were CPO’d.
PCA? PPI? CPO’d?
I have purchased two vintage Yamaha off road motorcycle from sellers many states away and so far have batted nearly zero. Both were complete roaches. Both completely mis-represented. The YZ 250 with a plastic gas tank was claimed to be OEM but in new condition. It had a tank skin shown in a photo taken in such a way as to hide the zip ties holding it on. Note to self; no 23 year motorcycle has an OEM plastic tank in new condition. The 74 TY 250 trials bike was ridden with no air cleaner installed. The top end and carb were junk. Other note to self; always ask if it runs. Both have turned out well but at a cost well over what they are actually worth.
Facebook marketplace is riddled with questionable cars for sale. Listing vehicles at a low price. I always look at the sellers info to check them out. The scammers will list the same vehicle available at many different areas of the country. I have seen as many as 30 different locations for the same cars. Always check the “other listings “ for the sellers!
These days everyone has a cell phone. I would request a FaceTime chat, with the person at the location. You can get a lot of info that way. If they are unwilling, goodbye.
Been scammed more than once, bought a 1970 Jag XKE that needed some restoration out of the state of Nevada. Once the car arrived in Michigan, I found the engine on the front seat with a hole through the block.
When you go to lay eyes on a car, take a friend who is smarter than yourself, or at least, less enthusiastic. One of my more expensive lessons.