How to Avoid Car-Buying Scams When Buying a Vehicle from the USA

Buying a vehicle from the United States can give international buyers access to a large selection of cars. But buying remotely also creates an obvious problem: you may be thousands of kilometers away from the vehicle, the seller, and the documents.

That distance makes verification especially important.

Online vehicle scams can involve cars that do not exist, copied advertisements, fake seller identities, false buyer-protection claims, fraudulent payment instructions, and fake shipping or escrow websites. The FBI has warned that criminals may copy real vehicle advertisements and then direct buyers away from the original marketplace to fraudulent websites or payment instructions. (FBI)

Here are 12 checks that can reduce your risk.

1. Be cautious when the price looks unusually low

A low price is not automatically a scam. Vehicles can be discounted for many legitimate reasons.

But a price far below comparable vehicles should make you investigate further, not move faster.

The FBI identifies unusually low vehicle prices as a common warning sign in fraudulent online vehicle sales. Scammers may combine the low price with a believable story explaining why the seller needs an immediate sale. (FBI)

Before contacting the seller, compare similar vehicles by:

• year;
• make and model;
• mileage;
• trim;
• condition; and
• title or damage history when known.

If the difference is large, ask why.

Do not let a bargain price become the reason you skip normal checks.

---

2. Verify the seller independently

Do not verify a seller only through information the seller gives you.

If you are dealing with a company, search for its business name, address, website, phone number, and independent reputation. Look for inconsistencies between the advertisement, website, invoice, email address, and payment recipient.

If someone claims to represent a known company, find that company’s contact information independently and contact it through a channel you found yourself.

This matters because criminals can create websites, email addresses, and communications that closely resemble legitimate businesses. The FBI specifically recommends checking full email addresses and website domains and independently verifying suspicious requests. (FBI)

A professional-looking website alone is not proof that a seller is legitimate.

---

3. Get the VIN before you send money

Ask for the complete Vehicle Identification Number, or VIN, before making a payment.

Most modern U.S. road vehicles use a 17-character VIN. NHTSA provides an official VIN decoder that can identify information encoded by the vehicle manufacturer. (NHTSA)

Check whether the decoded information agrees with the vehicle being advertised.

For example, compare the VIN result with the listing’s:

• manufacturer;
• model;
• model year;
• body type; and
• other identifying information.

A VIN that describes a different vehicle is a serious warning sign.

But a VIN that looks correct is only the beginning. Criminals can copy a real VIN from another vehicle.

---

4. Make sure the same VIN appears on the actual vehicle

A history report is useful only if the VIN you searched belongs to the vehicle you are actually buying.

Ask an independent inspector or other trusted person physically near the vehicle to confirm the VIN shown on the car.

NHTSA notes that a VIN can normally be found at the lower driver’s side of the windshield and on vehicle documentation, with additional identifying labels often found on the vehicle itself. (NHTSA)

The VIN on the vehicle should be consistent with the VIN used in the listing and paperwork.

This check is particularly important because NICB warns that criminals can clone a VIN from a legitimate vehicle and use it on another vehicle. (National Insurance Crime Bureau)

Do not rely only on a photograph of a VIN plate sent by the seller.

---

5. Check the vehicle’s U.S. title and history information

Before buying a used U.S. vehicle, obtain independent vehicle-history information.

The U.S. National Motor Vehicle Title Information System, or NMVTIS, provides information that can include:

• current and previous state title information;
• title dates;
• the latest reported odometer information;
• title brands such as salvage, junk, or flood;
• salvage or total-loss information; and
• certain theft-related information. (VehicleHistory)

Use an approved NMVTIS data provider rather than a history report supplied only by the seller. The U.S. Department of Justice maintains the approved-provider list. (VehicleHistory)

A history report should be treated as one layer of verification, not as a guarantee that the vehicle has no problems.

---

6. Use NICB VINCheck as an additional check

The National Insurance Crime Bureau also provides a free VINCheck service.

It can help determine whether a vehicle has a record of an unrecovered insurance theft claim or has been reported as salvage by participating NICB member insurance companies. (National Insurance Crime Bureau)

However, NICB itself warns that VINCheck is not a comprehensive vehicle-history report. Its results are limited to participating insurers and should not be used as the only basis for a purchase decision. (National Insurance Crime Bureau)

That makes it useful as another layer of due diligence, not a replacement for NMVTIS, document checks, or an inspection.

---

7. Check for open safety recalls

Fraud prevention and vehicle-condition checks are not exactly the same thing, but both matter before an international purchase.

NHTSA allows buyers to search a VIN for unrepaired U.S. safety recalls. (NHTSA)

An open recall does not mean the seller is fraudulent. However, it is useful information to know before agreeing on the vehicle and planning what will happen after purchase.

Include the recall check as part of your overall vehicle review rather than assuming that a clean-looking advertisement tells you everything important about the car.

---

8. Arrange an independent pre-purchase inspection

If you cannot travel to the United States to see the vehicle yourself, try to arrange an independent inspection.

The inspector or mechanic should ideally be selected independently rather than relying only on someone recommended by the seller.

The FTC recommends having a used vehicle inspected by an independent mechanic even when a seller says that the car has already been inspected or certified. (Consumer Advice)

Ask the inspector to confirm more than mechanical condition.

Where practical, ask them to verify:

• that the vehicle physically exists at the stated location;
• the VIN on the vehicle;
• the general condition shown in the advertisement;
• visible damage;
• mileage displayed on the vehicle; and
• any obvious differences between the listing and the actual car.

A live video call with the vehicle can provide extra information, but it should not replace an independent inspection for a high-value remote purchase.

---

9. If you are buying from a dealer, review the Buyers Guide

For used vehicles sold by most U.S. dealers, the FTC’s Used Car Rule requires a Buyers Guide that provides important information about matters such as warranty coverage or whether the vehicle is being sold without a dealer warranty.

The FTC also advises buyers to obtain a vehicle-history report and an independent inspection. (Federal Trade Commission)

If you are dealing with a U.S. dealer, ask for the applicable Buyers Guide and read it before completing the purchase.

Do not rely on verbal promises.

If a seller promises a warranty, repair, condition, refund right, or other important term, ask for that term in the transaction documents.

---

10. Confirm the ownership and title paperwork before payment

A legitimate vehicle must have a clear documentary path showing who has the right to sell it.

Ask to review the relevant title or ownership information and make sure the VIN is consistent across the vehicle and transaction documents.

For vehicles that will be exported from the United States, ownership documentation is also operationally important. Current CBP rules require documentation for exports of used self-propelled vehicles, with specific requirements applying to U.S.-titled vehicles and other title situations. (CBP Help)

That does not mean every vehicle has identical paperwork. Title rules and export documentation can depend on the vehicle and its circumstances.

The important fraud-prevention rule is simpler:

For exact title and export requirements, use current official guidance and qualified professional advice.

---

11. Treat payment instructions as a separate verification step

International vehicle transactions can involve substantial bank payments. The payment stage deserves its own security check.

A bank wire is not automatically evidence of a scam. But once money has been transferred, recovery can be difficult.

The FTC warns that wire transfers can function much like sending cash because the money may be difficult to recover after it has been received. (Consumer Advice)

Before sending money:

• independently confirm who should receive the payment;
• confirm the beneficiary and bank details;
• check that the payment instructions match the transaction;
• use a known phone number or another independent channel to confirm important instructions; and
• stop if the bank account suddenly changes.

This last point is especially important.

Business email compromise scams can take over or imitate legitimate business communications and replace real payment instructions with a criminal’s bank details. The FBI recommends independently verifying any change in account number or payment procedure rather than relying on the email containing the change. (FBI)

Be especially careful if someone combines new bank details with urgent pressure to pay immediately.

---

12. Verify escrow and shipping companies yourself

A scammer may not pretend to be only the vehicle seller.

Fake vehicle transactions can also use fraudulent websites that claim to be an escrow company, shipping company, or buyer-protection service. The FBI has documented online vehicle scams in which buyers were moved from legitimate websites to fraudulent sites and told that a supposed third party would protect the transaction. (FBI)

If a seller sends you a link to an escrow or transportation company:

1. Do not assume the link is genuine.
2. Search for the company independently.
3. Confirm its domain and contact information yourself.
4. Contact the company outside the seller’s email thread when practical.
5. Confirm exactly what service the company is providing before paying it.

Be cautious of claims that a marketplace or well-known company “guarantees” a transaction that is actually taking place outside that company’s platform.

---

---

---

---

---

Frequently Asked Questions