Apr 1, 2026 | posted by Lily Chavez
Looking to buy a used car? Car shopping can be exciting, but it can also be time‑consuming and expensive. One way to get a better idea of a vehicle’s condition is by asking for the Carfax report. Carfax reports are supposed to show the history of the vehicle, including major accidents, ownership changes, and other important issues. Carfax also has a website where you can browse new and used vehicles, and it's widely known for its specialty in auto history information. However, Carfax has also become a target for fraudulent activity from scammers pretending to be legitimate auto dealers.
More than ever, scammers are altering Carfax reports to hide major issues. They often pose as dealers and share vehicles at unrealistically low prices to lure buyers. One woman from Philadelphia lost $45,000 in a dealership cloning scheme involving a fake Carfax listing. She believed she had found her dream car, a 2017 Lexus LX, for a great price. After seeing the listing on Carfax, she was directed to what looked like the dealer’s website, where she spoke with someone claiming to be the owner. Even when she asked for a video, the scammer sent a convincing clip of a similar vehicle.
Although she felt something was off, she decided to move forward and wired the $45,000, expecting the vehicle to arrive in her state. When nothing showed up, she contacted the supposed dealer and later discovered that the person she spoke to had been a scammer. The website she visited was also fake, carefully designed to imitate a real dealership’s site with matching branding and layout.
Unfortunately, she was a victim to a Carfax scam. An emerging scam for auto online shopping.
Here are some tips to help you avoid getting scammed on Carfax or any online dealership website:
- Verify the site. Only use the official Carfax website or trusted auto dealer sites.
- Avoid third‑party links that ask for personal or payment information.
- Verify the dealership by visiting in person or checking for proper licensing on their official website.
- Check for physical discrepancies, such as ensuring the VIN on the dashboard matches the VIN on the report.
- Request a free VIN check from legitimate providers.
- If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
To read more related to car scams, read FTC’s “Steering clear of vehicle history report scams.”
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