Security Center
Online Auto & Recreational Purchase Scams
You can buy practically anything online, including used cars, boats, snowmobiles, and tractors.
But before you shell out any hard-earned cash, here’s a warning about scammers trying to sell vehicles they don’t have or own.
Here’s how the scam works: Criminals post ads on online auction and sales websites, like eBay Motors, Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for inexpensive used vehicles that they don’t really own. They offer to chat online, share photos, and answer questions. They may even tell you the sale will go through a well-known retailer’s buyer protection program. Recently, sellers have been sending fake invoices that appear to come from eBay Motors and demanding payment in eBay gift cards. If you call the number on the invoice, the scammer pretends to work for eBay Motors. Trusting buyers have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past year alone.