Buying a car online just got a little more complicated, because scammers are building fake dealership websites that can look almost indistinguishable from the real thing. They copy legitimate dealer websites, borrow vehicle photos and listings, use familiar logos, and sometimes even create glowing customer testimonials to make the whole operation feel reassuringly boring.
That is exactly what makes this scam so nasty. A buyer can research the dealer, browse an impressive inventory, exchange messages with a convincing salesperson, and still discover the horrible truth only after the money has left the bank. The good news is that several simple checks can expose many of these fake dealerships before a dream car turns into an expensive internet ghost story.
