When Adrianna Parsons and her husband found a shiny Lexus SUV listed for sale on CARFAX, they thought they were in safe hands.

“It all looked very legitimate at first glance,” said Parsons, a resident of Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

The vehicle was listed for $46,000 and linked to a dealership called Specialty Auto in Lincoln, Nebraska. Concerned about buying a car from a dealership 1,400 miles away, Parsons called the number listed on the website and spoke with a man claiming to be the owner, Jim Woods.

“He played the role. He preyed on us. He knew that I was worried. My gut was telling me to stop. I didn’t listen to it well enough,” she shared with ABC 6 Action News.

The man offered to send a custom video of the SUV — what Parsons called a “cold video” — to confirm he had the car. Reassured, the couple agreed to wire $45,000. The SUV never arrived.

What Parsons didn’t know was that the man wasn’t the real Jim Woods — and the website wasn’t legitimate. Though Jim Woods does own a dealership by that name, he told ABC 6 he doesn’t sell cars online and has no internet presence. Multiple other victims have since contacted him with similar stories.

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What is dealership cloning?

The scam that ensnared Parsons is a sophisticated form of fraud called dealership cloning.

Scammers replicate the name, location, and even employee details of real dealerships to create convincing fake websites. They then upload fake listings to platforms like CARFAX, Facebook Marketplace, or Craigslist, often using stolen images and real VINs.

Despite being a trusted resource, CARFAX listings aren’t immune to scams. When reached for comment, the company declined to explain how it vets dealer listings.

In a statement, it said, “If CARFAX is made aware of a potentially fraudulent listing, the team acts swiftly to investigate and remove [it].”

Since Action News began investigating, the fake Specialty Auto website has been taken down. Local police and the Nebraska DMV are investigating. The FBI has also been alerted. Still, Parsons says the loss was “cataclysmic” for her family.

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How to protect yourself from dealership cloning scams

As more car sales move online, so do the risks. Here’s how to protect yourself:

• Verify the seller: Confirm the dealership’s website URL and call the dealership. Be wary of inconsistent contact details, slight misspellings or prices that are too good to be true. You can also search the dealership’s name alongside terms like “scam” or “fraud” to find any complaints.

• Avoid risky payments: Never wire money, pay with gift cards, or send cryptocurrency. Instead, use a credit card or a reputable escrow service that holds the funds until the vehicle is delivered and verified.

• Get proof of the car: Ask for a custom video to prove the seller has the vehicle. Order a VIN report independently and cross-check it with photos and seller info. If buying remotely, hire an independent mechanic to inspect the vehicle in person.

• Trust your instincts: If a deal feels too good to be true, it probably is. In Parsons’ case, her intuition told her to walk away but the scammer’s smooth demeanor made her second-guess herself.

With many legitimate dealerships and platforms moving their business online, the burden increasingly falls on consumers to vet who they’re buying from and whether the transaction is a possible scam.

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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.