👻 A New Car Scam Haunts Businesses and Buyers

It all started with a suspicious truck listing and a YouTuber’s hunch. Kitboga, known for trolling scammers on his popular channel, recently unearthed a sophisticated, multi-million-dollar car scam that’s affecting businesses and buyers.

And this isn’t your typical scam email like that one from your long-lost uncle that willed tp you his stash of gold bars if only you send the $10K customs fees first. This time, it's targeting unsuspecting car buyers—and it's costing them thousands of dollars.

Here’s how it works and, more importantly, how dealerships can protect themselves from falling victim to this growing menace.

How It Works

Let’s break it down, step by step, just to see how slick this scam really is.

Scammers set up a fake website using your dealership’s name, slap some jaw-dropping prices on a few real VINs, and then pay to have those listings pop up on trusted sites like Carfax and Edmunds. It’s a perfect trap—everything looks legit.

A buyer sees the deal, checks out the details, and your dealership looks rock-solid: great reviews, Google Maps showing a nice storefront. Why wouldn’t they believe it? So, they reach out—but instead of talking to you, they’re chatting with a scammer who’s pretending to be your dealership.

The scammer throws in fast shipping and maybe even cuts the price a little more to seal the deal. The buyer, convinced they’ve hit the jackpot, wires the cash to someone thousands of miles away with no intention of delivering anything except heartbreak.

Then the real nightmare begins. Buyers start calling, or worse, showing up at your door, furious that they never got their car. They think you’re the scammer. Suddenly, your reputation’s in the gutter, negative reviews are piling up, and you’re left to clean up the mess while the scammer is laughing all the way to the bank.

Real Businesses, Real Victims

That’s exactly what happened to one poor guy who’s been servicing cars for years. He had no website, no online presence—just a solid reputation in his small community. But the scammers took his business name, slapped it on a fake website, and used it to fleece buyers for thousands.

And the service director? He’s left dealing with the fallout—angry customers accusing him of being part of the scam, his business reputation tarnished by fraudulent online reviews labeling him a crook.

To say it’s been devastating for him would be an understatement. The scam didn’t just take money from buyers—it took a toll on the service director’s livelihood, reputation, and even safety.

Despite repeated efforts from the business owner to report the fake listings, it wasn’t until Kitboga’s investigation—where he used his platform and millions of followers to escalate the situation—that they were finally removed.

Protecting Your Dealership

For dealerships and auto businesses, this scam should set off alarm bells.

If you’ve got vehicles listed online, you could be a target. Scammers can hijack your listings and plaster them across the web with bogus deals. And while the authorities are trying to crack down, shutting down these fraudulent websites can take days—far too long when thousands of dollars are on the line.

So, how can dealerships protect themselves?

1. Establish an Online Presence. If your business doesn’t already have a website or a strong online footprint, now’s the time. Scammers target businesses with little-to-no online presence because it’s easier to impersonate them.

2. Monitor Your Listings. Regularly check legitimate platforms like Carfax, Edmunds, and Facebook Marketplace to ensure no one is misusing your business name or VIN numbers.

3. Stay Informed. Make sure your team is aware of the scam and knows how to handle inquiries from potential victims. If someone calls asking about a vehicle you’re not selling, don’t dismiss it—investigate.

4. Report Fraud Immediately. If you discover your business name is being used in a scam, contact the platforms hosting the fraudulent listings ASAP. While the process may take time, being proactive is crucial.

Protecting Buyers

For buyers, the moral of the story is simple: if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Scammers are getting more sophisticated, and legitimate platforms like Carfax aren’t immune.

Buyers need to go the extra mile to verify who they’re dealing with. A clean listing and glowing reviews aren’t enough—pick up the phone, call the dealership directly, and never wire money without thoroughly vetting the seller.

What’s Next?

The scam may have been uncovered, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Kitboga and his team revealed that there are hundreds of these fake websites impersonating legitimate businesses. And while they’re working to shut them down, it’s clear this isn’t going away anytime soon.

Businesses and buyers alike need to stay sharp. Ask questions, verify everything, and don’t be afraid to dig deeper if something feels off.

In an industry built on trust, these scams are capable of doing major damage and it’s on all of us to stop them in their tracks.