Q: I am shopping for a used car and find autos for sale on the Internet that appear too good to be true. What advice does the BBB have for car shoppers online?
A: Great question and very timely; the Better Business Bureau is warning car shoppers to beware of websites offering too-good-to-be-true deals on repossessed cars. BBB has heard from people across the country who thought they were buying from a reputable dealer online but were actually sending money to scammers posing as legitimate, already established community dealerships.
Because scammers essentially steal the identity and good name of real auto dealers, car shoppers will think that they are buying a car from a reputable business. In reality they are being sold a bill of goods by a coordinated, sophisticated and in all likelihood overseas outfit of scammers.
Most recently, an accredited business in this service area, David Smith Auto Sales, received multiple calls from consumers across the country who had shopped for a new car on www.DavidSmithAutoSales.com thinking that it was the website of the Calhoun, Ga., dealer.
The phony website used the name, address and contact information of the real dealer.