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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At one time I was buying a few cars and some were a long ways from home. I got burnt on one I bought on Ebay that looked great in pics but looked like it had been painted with a brush when the shipper dropped it off. Plus is didn’t run !!!!. An older friend of mine finally told me. The same cars you are buying 6 states away are usually available in your state. Quit looking all over the U.S. He was right. Best advice I ever got 🙂
recently someone I know tried to buy a truck sight unseen, a woman scammed him out of a lot of money claiming it was her late husband’s truck and she wanted it out of the garage. there was a story in old cars weekly about a couple that went somewhere down south to purchase a 1967 Mustang, the owner of the car insisted they bring cash, they were found murdered and dumped on a rural road, miles from where the deal was suppose to happen.
As a dealer who sells cars to people who never come to see them, I can provide some insight.
The proper way to find out if a dealer is legitimate is to check their state’s Secretary of State or DMV website for the dealership’s registry information. Of course, you could be talking to someone who has nothing to do with the dealership but is just posing as if they do…so use the contact information within the SOS registry to make sure you are really talking to the dealer you think you are.
#3 tip above really doesn’t apply these days since many dealers, such as ourselves, have no retail location. I keep my cars in storage and do not list my address as I do not want people showing up unannounced to my home thinking that they will find a car dealership. But just because I have no retail location doesn’t mean that I’m illegitimate.
Finally, the whole concept of third-party inspections is a waste of time. The whole process is flawed. Inspectors are tasked with finding fault, and you better believe that they will find plenty to fault, even where no fault exists. In my experience, 98% of third party inspections result in a no-sale…and there can’t possibly be that many bad cars out there. As such, third party inspectors are really just taking your money and providing a dis-service, keeping cars out of the hands of buyers who would otherwise be perfectly happy with them. I encourage all my customers to get on an airplane to come see what they are buying (although few ever do). Only you and your own eyes can determine whether or not you will happy with your purchase.
I recently was contacted by a type club magazine editor who saw an ad for a car, the VIN # of which the registry shows belongs to me. He wanted to know whether I had sold the car. The answer was no; it’s sitting in my driveway and is not for sale. Not sure what the scammer was actually selling.
Call the local Police Dept & see if an after duty Officer would check out the vehicle for verification of a vehicle picture, title, owner name & address that you send them via email for a $50 donation to their police fund. You may be able to use your bank’s Bill Payer feature if the police have their police fund set up to receive community donations.
Educational comments. Be informed and stay alert
Many race cars (vintage) are sold on a bill of sale like my Datsun 510.
Put your eyes on the car. I recently sold my 68 Charger. The potential buyer sent an “appraiser” to look at the vehicle. After his walk around and writing up his report, I kindly asked if he would like to see how everything worked. “Uh…o.k.” I then asked if he wanted to match the core supports, fender tag, vin# to title (Michigan & original California) build sheet, and his response was “…I really don’t need to see those…”
Look at the car before you buy. No disappointments.
Verify even “project vehicles”–they could be stolen, VINs changed, etc., etc. Why buy a project car, invest in repairs, etc., then discover it can’t be registered? Today, it is very simple to hire an Inspection Agency to visit the Seller and examine the for-sale-vehicle.
Was looking for my car I had in the 80’s -1969 pontiac Lemans -Looked for it for over 25 yrs. (the one) -Well to make a long story short,I found her online she was in Pensacola Fl. but she was a Convertible -They wanted ,$28,000 which is the going Price in drivable condition – The pictures were spot on, the appraisal was $50,000 so I Bought it without even driving her she was on her was via secured towing service which was extra – started her up and everything was fine -I thought turns out a new motor was needed -$10,000 for that – (I had one put in Stroker 383) word to the Wise -Drive it -and make sure it is what you paid for- I learned a expensive lesson -even though it looks good in pictures – you must have it looked at from a mechanic and not the one who you bought it from
Excellent article and many very good reply comments. In 2014, I bought a classic auto from a classic auto dealership in NC, with other locations in other cities. The car I bought had many web pictures of a beautiful restored auto and a slick production driving video. Issue was the driving video had a music soundtrack so you could not hear all the front suspension rattles. Lucky for me, my brother who knows cars was in the same city and went to look at the car. It looked great, just like the photos, but the dealership made excuses why the car could not be test driven. RED FLAG. As excellent as the car looked, inside, outside, underneath, it was not ‘restored’ as advertised. When I received the auto I spent an additional few grand to have the front suspension rebuilt because of massive front end squeaks (worn parts).
Retrospect, always have someone you know or a professional test drive the auto you are interested in. Join car clubs in advance to help you with this. I was living in Canada at the time and not practical for me to go to NC myself.
Last, if you must ship your car, do not just leave the choice of transport to your seller like I did. I could track my auto from NC to the Canada border (exciting). My auto cleared Canada customs (two hours from my home), then disappeared for two weeks with a trailer of autos. I received my auto weeks late, only excuses the driver had personal issues with a death in his family. So a truck load of autos going through Canada Import, only excuse for missing autos was the drivers Mom died. Yes, the truck GPS was turned off after it cleared Canada Customs, then disappeared for two weeks.
I lived in Canada for 18 years. I imported three personal cars from the US to Canada during that time. I sold one of those cars to be exported back to the US. I did the export paperwork for the person who bought my car in Canada, to ship the car back to the US, paperwork only took me about 2-hours.
Sorry for the ramble. Take away this: If buying a classic auto, join a club before purchase. Ask for help to have the auto inspected. Looking back, I might have save a few thousand by following this advice.
When I started looking for a classic car on Autotrader in Vancouver, I noticed a lot of questionable ads. I was irritated when I looked at an ad for a car I might be interested in, only to realize it wasn’t legit. It got pretty easy to tell which were scams after a while. Most scammers would list the same car for sale in multiple cities, trying to increase the odds of finding an interested party for the car. I recall entering the contact email for one scammer listed on an ad in the Autotrader search, and finding multiple cars all listed in several locations. One Lambo was listed in a dozen different cities across the country. Autotrader had a very simple way to report scams to them, and I reported dozens of them over a couple of years. The scam ads would disappear soon after being reported, and finally they pretty much stopped showing up. Found the car I wanted as well, so don’t check the ads any more.
The best one I have ever heard is that it comes with a warranty. That would be the 10 and 10. Ten years or ten feet
I haven’t read all the comments, so someone else may have covered this. If the seller will take Visa, you are fairly safe. I recently bought an outboard motor from a Kijiji ad without seeing it. I talked to the seller on the phone, and told him that I had no intention of sending money without some checks. He replied that this was a resort and he the proprietor. They were selling off motors that were off warrantee. Just look up the resort on the internet, phone the resort number, and ask for the owner. I did so and got him back. He then said, as added insurance, that he would be happy to take Visa, but that this would involve taxes. I asked him if he would sell for cash, no tax, and he replied no — sorry, but all this stuff has to go through our books. He said that all the used motors for sale had been checked over and serviced by their shop, and had relatively low hours. At that point I had no doubts at all and gave him my Visa info. The price, including tax, was reasonable according to book values, and used outboards in the 135hp range are hard to find. Day and Ross delivered the motor 10 days later — in pristine condition.
A few years ago I was looking for an E-Type Coupe project car. I found one that looked great in the picture selling at a reasonable price. I emailed the seller and got no reply. Later I began to notice that the same picture and words were used in multiple ads for cars in different states. I still don’t know what the scam was or how money was being made by the perps. There were also several sellers who were out-of-country and had the cars packed and ready to ship (one was supposedly stuck due to COVID on an oil rig). All of these I believe were scams. Due to COVID, I was unwilling to travel at the time so hired a pro to do an inspection. I got a nice seemingly complete report and purchased the car. Funny, the report didn’t mention the missing distributor… In any case all worked out well and my restored Jag is a thing of beauty.