How to spot phony websites before buying cars or equipment online

(InvestigateTV) — The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning consumers about fake online sale scams targeting high-dollar items like classic cars, RVs and heavy equipment.

Josh Planos, vice president of marketing and communications with the BBB, said consumers need to watch for scammers and phony websites.

“Over the past four years, we’ve received more than 200 reports of consumers attempting to purchase vehicles or heavy equipment machinery online,” Planos said.

He said some scammers are impersonating real businesses and building websites that can look legitimate, making it harder for consumers to know who they are really dealing with.

“We are talking about websites with cookie policies, websites with fake testimonial carousels, websites with actual prices that don’t seem too good to be true,” Planos said. “In a lot of cases, we’re talking about images of skid steers or bulldozers that look like high resolution photos that have been lifted from other websites.”

Red flags to watch for

Planos said consumers should look for the price and make sure that high value vehicles or machinery at extremely low prices triggers skepticism rather than excitement.

“With transactions like heavy machinery, like automobiles, you really need to make that business prove that they are trustworthy,” he suggested.

Planos said that means slowing down before paying. He recommends checking the business on BBB.org, verifying the address and business information through sources outside the seller’s own website, and being cautious if asked to pay by wire transfer because those payments can be hard to reverse.

The BBB said if consumers think they sent money to a fake seller, they should contact their bank immediately, especially if they paid by wire transfer. Consumers should also save emails, receipts, screenshots and any other communications, then report it to BBB Scam Tracker, local law enforcement and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.