Elizabeth of Oak Park had a clear vision for her retirement: hair up, top down and sitting smugly behind the wheel of a 1966 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia.
"Who wouldn't want that car?" said Elizabeth, who asked that we not use her real name to protect her privacy. "It was one of Volkswagen's partnerships with an Italian designer, Ghia, and it was popular at its time, very much in the '60s. That's when I was born, so I've always wanted one."
So, like many people do when they want something specialized, Elizabeth went online.
"It was like, 'Well, if I'm going to do this, especially as a lifelong dream, I better just go for exactly what I want.' I found a marketplace for these old cars, tons of them, so I can really shop around," said Elizabeth.
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She found what she was looking for on a site called MuscleVintageCars.com There, she found a sea blue Karmann Ghia that stole her heart.
"They sent, boy, I'd say it's about 45 photos. So I thought to myself, ‘OK, how can this be fake?'" said Elizabeth.
The seller went even further to make Elizabeth comfortable.
NBC 5 Responds
"You would have a chance for 10 days to check it out with your mechanic etc. They keep the payment in escrow, and upon your approval or not, they would receive the funds or you would receive them back," recalled Elizabeth.
That assurance was all part of the scam, according to Steve Bernas with the Better Business Bureau.
"It looks like a great company, and then you deal with the escrow service. You give them the money and then they, guess what, the scammer's behind both and takes your money and never delivers the car as well," said Bernas.
Elizabeth wired $9,800 to the seller but the next day ran into a problem.
"They said, 'Well, actually there was an issue with the payment. We have to return the funds to you, look for it in the next day or two and then we have to resubmit the invoice.'"
But she said she never got a new invoice or her money. And the car?
"The car never came," said Elizabeth, who never got her money back either. She finally called the only phone number she could find for the dealership.
"It was some sales dealership in Southern California that said they get called all the time. It's fake,” said Elizabeth.
"They want you to believe that you're dealing with a regular notable organization. They make themselves look like they're not only the dealer, but an escrow service and a car salesman at the same time," said Bernas.
NBC 5 Responds was also contacted by a Chicago man who paid $38,000 to purchase a 1956 corvette from a different vintage car website that was linked to a dealership in Arkansas. The only problem is that dealership has been closed for more than a year, and according to a warning from the BBB, “scammers are using the name and address of this closed business to scam consumers out of money for cars they do not have."
"It's best to deal with the localized dealer that you know and trust or that you physically can visit the vehicle," said Bernas.
For now, Elizabeth has put her Karmann Ghia dreams on hold. When she does start looking for her dream car again, she said there's one main thing she’ll do differently.
"I would have called [the dealership], and they instantly would have said this is a fake site. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is," said Elizabeth.
We reached out to VintageMuscleCars.com for comment about this and other fake listings on their website but haven't heard back.
After our interview, Elizabeth ran the Vehicle Identification Number on that Volkswagen convertible she thought she was buying. It came up as a 1971 Chevy Impala.
That’s the first key takeaway we have if you're shopping online for your next vehicle:
- Check the VIN number through a reputable site like Carfax, or the National Insurance Crime Bureau. It can give you the vehicles accident and ownership history.
- No website is safe. Scammers often post fake ads on reputable car buying sites or they can create fake sites and steal details and images from legitimate listings.
- Always view a vehicle in-person if possible, ask for a video call or send to someone you trust.
