OMAHA — Recently, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) serving Nebraska, South Dakota, the Kansas Plains and Southwest Iowa uncovered three fraudulent auto dealer scams seducing customers with good prices on hard to find campers and cars.
RCS Auto Sales, LLC which appears to sell “seized” vehicles online, is run by an unknown person or persons who stole the business identity of a real, but now defunct, business. The former business ceased operating several years ago. The actual physical address of the now fraudulent RCS Auto Sales, LLC is unknown. The BBB investigation also found that the new RCS Auto Sales, LLC created a website, rcsautosales.com on May 4, 2020. There are Nebraska addresses in La Vista and Omaha listed on this website. However, the BBB has confirmed that RCS Auto Sales, LLC is not located at either address and has not been issued a required dealer license in Nebraska.
- One consumer notified BBB that he had found RCS Auto Sales online when he was about to purchase a motor home. He got suspicious about the sale because they would only accept payment via a bank transfer. He did some research and found that this company was not located at the addresses listed on its website and concluded it was probably a scam.
- A second consumer told BBB that he was about to buy a camper from RCS Auto Sales, LLC but became wary when he could not speak directly with anyone and was asked to use a wire transfer service to pay for the vehicle. Luckily, he checked with BBB and saw the report that it was a phony company with a fake website.
Another imposter was using the name of a small licensed auto dealer in Omaha and its legitimate owner’s name on a fraudulent website to sell luxury vehicles online. BBB’s investigation found that “Sport Motors, LLC” was falsely advertising that they were located at the same Omaha address as a legitimate licensed car dealer, Sport Motors, which is physically located in Omaha but does not advertise cars for sale online.
Losses to victims of this scam are significant. One victim lost $71,300 and another lost $59,300. Both consumers wired payment in full to an Omaha address. The consumers did not receive their vehicles, and the imposter stopped communicating with the victims once the payments were made.
The actual physical location of the spoofing company “Sport Motors, LLC” is unknown. The fake company also stated that their phone number was 402-512-1303; this phone number is not affiliated with the legitimate car dealer.
The most recent phony auto sales site reported on BBB Scam Tracker is Abbey Auto MARS, LLC. On their website, abbeyautomars.com, this fraudulent company alleges that they are located at 7614 Highway 50 in Weeping Water, NE. BBB has confirmed with the City of Weeping Water that Abbey Auto MARS, LLC is not located at this address, and according to the Nebraska Motor Vehicle Industry Licensing Board, this business is NOT licensed to sell vehicles.
It appears that this fake site is being operated by the same criminals that created the RCS site. These sites are still active and consumers must understand that the vehicles advertised are an illusion.
BBB President and CEO Jim Hegarty stated, “These vehicle imposter scams are very sophisticated. The fake websites are designed to mimic authentic sites making it difficult for the victims to recognize they are fraudulent. Imposter techniques work because scammers are trading on the trust of consumers. They trust well–known, established businesses. They don’t expect to get scammed! The deals offered by these phony operators are often very attractive and are designed to draw consumers into their trap.”
Criminal enterprises often place advertisements for these fake vehicles on legitimate advertising platforms in addition to creating their own websites. Tt’s critical for individuals looking for vehicles on sites like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist to be extremely cautious.
Last week, a Nebraska couple saw a camper advertised on Facebook Marketplace and responded to who they thought was a legitimate seller. They received payment instructions via email that appeared to be from EBay Motors to make payments for the camper with EBay gift cards. After purchasing the gift cards and sending the requested payments, communications suddenly ended and the couple realized they had been scammed out of thousands of dollars.
“Shoppers should never rely on websites selling vehicles or other expensive items without thoroughly checking out the company at BBB.org. If the seller’s identity cannot be verified, don’t send money. Paying someone you do not know – especially using difficult-to-trace payments like wire services or loadable cards – can be a huge mistake,” warned Hegarty.
BBB urges caution and offers the following advice when shopping for vehicles online:
- Try to deal only with established businesses when looking for a vehicle online. Google the business, if you’re not familiar with the name. Are they part of a local Chamber of Commerce or listed on Google Map with the same website and contact information?
- Never send money in advance for any motor vehicle unless you have thoroughly checked out the seller and are convinced the offer/business is real.
- Never agree to make a payment via Money Order or Gift Card unless you are absolutely certain you will receive a vehicle and matching, valid title.
- Never trust that a phone number or email address on a website belongs to a legitimate business without verifying it independently. This usually can be done by researching the business’s phone number online or checking with the BBB.
- Scammers use low prices to lure victims. If the price of a vehicle seems unusually low, it likely is a scheme to steal your money.
- Pay by credit card or using Paypal’s “goods & services” payment option whenever possible in the event you need to challenge the charge.
- Never buy from someone who can’t or won’t meet in person or let you inspect the car. Scammers might have an excuse, like a job transfer, military deployment, or divorce, for why you can’t see them or the car. Once you’ve been told where the car is located, ask if you can send a local mechanic to inspect it. If they won’t let you see it and they won’t let someone inspect it – it’s probably not real.
