FTC Warns: Scammers Are Cloning Car Dealership Websites to Steal Vehicle Payments
Report date: September 1, 2026
Scam type: Car dealership impersonation / cloned website / payment fraud
Source classification: Official Government Warning
The Federal Trade Commission is warning car buyers about scammers who create convincing copies of legitimate dealership websites and use them to collect upfront payments for vehicles the real dealership never offered or sold. The fake sites may copy logos, vehicle listings, photos and even customer testimonials, and the FTC says scammers may use AI to make the cloned sites more convincing.
What happened
According to the FTC, consumers have paid what appeared to be legitimate online car dealerships only to discover later that the real dealership had no record of their order or payment and no vehicle waiting for them. The scam succeeds by borrowing the identity and credibility of a real business.
How the scam works
Criminals copy a legitimate dealership's branding, logos, vehicle listings, photos and other website content to build a convincing fake site.
Scammers may add fake customer testimonials or other trust signals and can use AI to make the copied website look more polished.
Rare muscle cars, classics and other hard-to-find vehicles can be used as bait because buyers may be willing to shop far from home.
The fake site may describe a detailed buying process and flexible return policy to make the transaction feel legitimate.
The buyer is pushed to make an upfront payment, often by wire transfer. The money goes to the scammer and the promised vehicle does not exist.
Who is being targeted
Anyone shopping online for a vehicle can be targeted, especially buyers searching outside their local area for rare, classic or hard-to-find vehicles. The risk is higher when a shopper cannot independently inspect the specific vehicle and dealership before sending money.
Warning signs
The seller will not let you see the vehicle or dealership in person.
The seller refuses to allow an independent mobile or pre-purchase inspection.
The transaction requires an upfront wire transfer or another difficult-to-reverse payment method.
The seller creates urgency around a rare or hard-to-find vehicle and pressures you to pay before independently verifying it.
Contact information or payment instructions do not match information you independently obtain for the real dealership.
The website looks professional and may even appear to have good reviews, but those signals alone do not prove you are dealing with the real business.
What consumers should do
Search the dealership's name together with words such as scam, review or complaint before paying.
Find the dealership's contact information independently and call the business directly to verify the exact vehicle, salesperson and payment instructions.
Inspect the vehicle and dealership in person when possible.
If the vehicle is far away, insist on an independent mobile or pre-purchase inspection before sending money.
Walk away if the seller insists on an upfront wire transfer and will not provide a safe way to independently verify the transaction.
If you already sent money, contact your financial institution or wire-transfer provider immediately, preserve all communications and transaction records, and report the fraud.
Why this matters
Cloned dealership websites are particularly dangerous because they exploit trust in real businesses. A buyer may recognize the dealer's name, logo, inventory photos or reviews and still be communicating with a criminal copy. The critical protection step is to independently verify the specific vehicle and payment instructions, not merely whether the dealership itself exists.
Source
Primary source: Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Alert, “Scammers are spoofing car dealership websites: What you need to know,” September 1, 2026.
Report suspected fraud to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Think it might be a scam? Let AigiShield check it out for you.
Think Before You Click. Verify Before You Trust.
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