Nowadays, car buyers have several options when it comes time to acquire a vehicle. Many decide to enlist the help of an online car dealer as it makes the process simpler. This is especially the case for people looking for rare classics. However, it’s also easy to get scammed with this process. Sadly, this happened to one California man when he tried to buy a classic Ford.

This man was scammed by an online car dealer while trying to buy a classic Ford

According to The Sun, Dale Frye recently used an online car dealer to find a classic Ford vehicle. Specifically, he decided to buy a 1934 Ford Cabriolet, which someone named James was selling from West Hartford, Connecticut. Dale felt that he could trust the website, which was called Auto Store CT Quality Used Cars. Because of the trust, he ended up wiring the necessary $25,000 to buy the vintage car. 

Before sending the car money from the online dealer, Dale had the seller send pictures and videos. He says, “He sent me a video of the car, and he sent numerous still photos of the car.” He added why he trusted the online marketplace: “It’s a very professional website.”

However, things went south when weeks passed, and Dale hadn’t heard anything about the classic Ford. Notably, the seller was supposed to ship it to him in California.  Because of the radio silence from the online car dealer and the seller, Dale decided to visit the address from the listing. Sadly, the site was only an empty lot.  He says, “We decided to come here, and James has since decided to quit answering his phone calls.“ Dale spoke to a neighboring business and was informed that the lot had been empty for two years. 

Of course, the scorned buyer has contacted the Better Business Bureau, which is currently investigating the matter with the individual seller. Readers should know that it’s never a good idea to send money for a vehicle before seeing it in person and having a contract.