Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is turning up the volume on a new breed of online scam that dresses itself up as a legit car or heavy-equipment dealership. Investigators say these fake operations are getting slicker by the month and can leave buyers out thousands of dollars the moment the money leaves their account.
According to the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office, the Division of Consumer Affairs has seen sham dealers steal real business names and photos, post staged "walk-around" videos and even pick up the phone like a normal lot. Once a buyer wires funds or uses another hard-to-trace payment method, the scammers vanish and the vehicle never shows.
How the scams work
Tampa Free Press reports that fraudsters often lift images and descriptions straight from real dealerships or build websites that mimic closed businesses so they look established. The hook is usually a price that seems too good to be true. Once a buyer bites, the crooks push for payment through cryptocurrency, gift cards or cash-transfer apps, then disappear without delivering anything.
How to protect yourself
The AG’s Division of Consumer Affairs urges buyers to see any car or piece of equipment in person whenever possible and, if an out-of-state deal is unavoidable, to hire an independent local mechanic to inspect the vehicle before sending money, per the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office. Shoppers are also advised to run the VIN through a reputable vehicle-history service, verify the seller’s registration with the Tennessee Secretary of State’s entity search, and review complaint histories on the Better Business Bureau site before any funds are wired.
If you’ve already been targeted
Victims are urged to save every email, text, listing and screenshot, contact their bank right away, and file reports as quickly as possible. The AG’s office recommends submitting a complaint to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov and reporting the scam through state consumer channels, according to Tampa Free Press. Moving fast can boost the odds of recovering funds or at least help investigators connect the dots and shut down similar schemes.
Why this keeps happening
State officials say these fake dealership sites are part of a broader, ongoing wave of online consumer fraud that shifts as shopping platforms and payment tools evolve. Local coverage has traced similar schemes back to late 2024, when outlets including WSMV highlighted earlier AG warnings about cloned dealership websites and bogus business listings.
Bottom line: if a car or piece of heavy equipment is priced way under market, treat it as a flashing red light. Insist on a VIN check, ask for live video that clearly shows the seller with the actual vehicle and stick to secure, traceable payment methods. The Tennessee Secretary of State business search and the FBI’s IC3 website are solid first stops for checking a seller and reporting anything that looks off.
