A field guide for classic-car buyers facing fake dealers

Field notes

The checker accepts either a dealer website address or a seal number. Its guidance covers copied vehicle photos, blocked inspections, irreversible payment requests, and other recurring signs; it recommends treating two or more flags as a reason to stop and verify independently. The page also points readers toward valuation and government complaint resources. It explicitly says that a dealer missing from its registry is not, by itself, evidence of fraud.