Frequently asked questions

Fraud Reported is a public, searchable archive of documented fraud involving online sales of RVs, motorhomes, heavy equipment, tractors, trailers, work trucks, classic cars, and boats. Each entry is a case file built from buyer reports and open-source verification: domain registration dates, hosting records, reused listing photos, wire beneficiary names, and the contact details the seller used.

The purpose is simple. When a buyer searches a seller's name or domain before wiring money, we want a documented warning to appear in the results instead of nothing at all.

Every report goes through the same checks before publication. We pull the domain registration date and registrar records, review hosting and certificate history, reverse-search the listing photos to find the original source, check whether the claimed business is registered with the state it names, verify whether the phone numbers and addresses resolve to a real dealership, and compare the wire beneficiary name against the advertised business name.

A case file is only marked as a confirmed scam when there is at least one documented loss with payment evidence and no delivery. Everything else is published at a lower risk level with the reasoning shown, so you can judge the evidence yourself.

Confirmed scam means at least one buyer sent money, we saw the payment evidence, and nothing was delivered. High risk means multiple objective red flags such as a brand-new domain, a wire beneficiary that does not match the business, or stolen inventory photos, but no confirmed loss on record yet. Under review means a report has been received and is published for transparency while verification continues. Cleared means we reviewed the complaint and found the seller legitimate, or the dispute was resolved.

Because they are built from templates and stolen content. Fraudulent equipment sites are typically cloned from a real dealer, populated with inventory photos scraped from legitimate auction and classified listings, and given a fabricated company history, fake staff bios, and copied reviews. Some even build a fake escrow or 'inspection service' page to make wiring money look safe.

A polished website costs a scammer almost nothing. The single most reliable signal is not the design, it is the domain age and how they insist on being paid.

No. The padlock only means traffic between your browser and that server is encrypted. It says nothing about who owns the site or whether they will ship you anything. Domain-validated certificates are issued automatically and free of charge within minutes, so every fraudulent site documented in this archive had a valid certificate.

The same applies to trust badges, 'verified dealer' seals, and five-star reviews displayed on the site itself. All of them are images the site owner chose to place there, and none of them are checked by anyone.

Start with the domain registration date in ICANN Lookup, then confirm the exact legal name on the invoice in the business registry of the state it claims, reverse-search the listing photos, verify the address on satellite imagery, and compare the wire beneficiary name against the advertised business name. Finally, demand a live video walkaround where the seller reads the VIN, serial, or hull number aloud on camera.

A fraudulent listing usually fails the first check or the beneficiary check. The complete sequence, with the specific free tools for each step, is on the seller verification page.

The seller insists on a bank wire, Zelle, Cash App, cryptocurrency, or gift cards, and will not accept an escrow service you chose. The price sits far below comparable listings. The domain was registered within the last several months. The wire beneficiary is a personal name or an unrelated LLC. The seller refuses a live video walkaround or an in-person inspection. They pressure you with another buyer who is 'about to close.' They offer shipping through a company only they can arrange.

The full checklist lives on the seller verification page.

Call your bank immediately and ask for a SWIFT wire recall. Wires are hard to reverse, but same-day requests are occasionally stopped before the funds are withdrawn. Then file a complaint with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov, which is the single most important step for any wire fraud over a few thousand dollars, and report it to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. If you paid by Zelle or Cash App, open a dispute with your bank the same day.

Preserve everything: emails, text messages, the listing page, the invoice, and the wire receipt. Do not delete anything, even if the seller suddenly starts communicating again and asks you to. Then send us a report so the domain is documented for the next buyer.

No, not unless you ask us to. We publish a first name or initials only, and never your email address, phone number, home address, or bank details. If you would rather appear as an anonymous reporter, say so in your report and we will honor it. Analysts may email you for clarification, but your contact information is never part of the published case file.

No. We are not a law firm, a licensed investigator, or a recovery service, and we never charge for anything. Be extremely careful with anyone who contacts you offering to recover your funds for an upfront fee. Recovery-fee fraud is a common second wave that specifically targets people who have already been scammed and whose complaints are public.

We publish corrections. Send documentation from a business email on the domain in question, including your state business registration, proof of a physical inspectable location, and records showing the transaction in dispute was completed. Verified corrections are published on the case file, and files that turn out to be mistaken are marked cleared or removed with a note.

Journalists, investigators, and law enforcement are welcome to cite and quote case files with a link back. Reach us at press@fraudreported.com and we will share the underlying evidence we can lawfully disclose. Wholesale scraping of the archive is not permitted.