Sending money abroad for a car you have never seen, to a company you have only met online, is exactly the situation fraudsters look for. That is a fair worry. The good news is that car shipping scams follow a few familiar patterns, and almost every one of them falls apart when you check a couple of things before you pay.
Why car shipping attracts fraud
The amounts are large, the car is far away and the process is unfamiliar to most buyers. You expect to pay before you see the car, and you expect to deal with people you will never meet. A scam only has to look like a normal import for long enough to get a payment.
The answer is not to avoid importing. It is to know what a genuine import looks like, so that anything different stands out.
Fake sellers with a "shipping agent"
This is a pattern the police have warned car buyers about, and it starts with a car advert, usually priced well below what similar cars sell for. The seller cannot meet you, often because they are abroad or have moved, but the car is "already with a shipping agent" or "held by a delivery company".
You are asked to pay the agent, not the seller, sometimes with a promise that the money is held safely until you have received the car. Action Fraud has warned about exactly this: bogus emails that claim to be from a well-known escrow or holding service, asking for an upfront bank transfer before you have viewed the vehicle. It also points out that Amazon does not provide escrow accounts, even though its name is used.
There is no car and no agent. The website, the tracking page and the emails are all part of the same scam.
You choose the shipper, not the seller. A genuine seller sells you the car. Getting it here is your decision, with a company you found and checked yourself. If a seller insists on their own shipping agent and wants you to pay that agent, stop.
Fake shipping companies
The second pattern is a company that does not exist. It has a professional-looking website, a quote far below anyone else's and a request for a deposit to "secure the space". Once the deposit is paid, the company stops answering.
Some copy the name, logo or address of a real business, and some use a web address only a letter or two away from a genuine one. Others invent a history and reviews from nowhere. The tell is usually the same: the price is too good, the pressure to pay is high, and the details do not check out anywhere independent.
Deposit and "release fee" scams
A variation turns up part way through a genuine-looking process. You are told the car is at the port but needs a payment before it can be released: a customs fee, an insurance top-up, a clearance charge. The payment goes to a personal bank account, and then another fee appears.
Real costs do exist at the port, which is why this works. The difference is that genuine charges come from the company you booked with, they are explained before they are due, and they are paid to that company. Our guides to the bill of lading and port storage charges explain what real port-side costs look like.
Genuine and suspicious side by side
| Feature | What a genuine import looks like | What should worry you |
|---|---|---|
| Who picks the shipper | You do | The seller insists on their own agent |
| Price | In line with other quotes | Far below everyone else |
| Who you pay | The company named on the quote | A personal account or a third party |
| Seeing the car | You, or someone you trust, can inspect it | Always a reason you cannot |
| Contact | A landline, an address and a company you can check | Email or messaging only |
| Pressure | Time to ask questions | Pay today or lose it |
| Paperwork | Invoice, registration document, export papers | Vague or missing |
How to check a shipper
A real company is easy to verify, and it will not mind you doing it. These checks take a few minutes.
Before you pay a shipper
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For the car itself, our guide to buying a car abroad safely covers the paperwork and inspection checks: a proper invoice, a registration document, a chassis number that matches and a clean title. If you are buying at auction, see buying from a US auction.
How to check us
We would rather you checked than took our word for it. Shipping a Car is part of My Car Import, and you can verify every detail below independently.
- Address: My Car Import, Trent Lane, Castle Donington, Derby, DE74 2PY
- Phone: 01332 810442
- Email: [email protected]
- Rated 4.8 on Trustpilot from 1,000+ reviews
- 20,000+ cars imported
A person on our team prices every job and emails the quote to you. If you are ever unsure whether a message really came from us, ring the number above and ask. Our about us page has more on who we are.
If you think you have been scammed
Act quickly. The sooner the bank knows, the better the chance of stopping or recovering a payment.
- Contact your bank straight away, using the number on your card or its website
- Stop all contact with the seller or company, and do not pay any further "fees"
- Keep everything: emails, adverts, messages, invoices and payment details
- Report it to Report Fraud, the police service that replaced Action Fraud in December 2025, at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040 (England, Wales and Northern Ireland). In Scotland, report it to Police Scotland
Questions people ask
How do car shipping scams usually work?
Most start with a cheap car advert. The seller cannot meet you, but the car is supposedly with a shipping agent or escrow service, and you are asked to pay that agent by bank transfer. There is no car and no agent.
Is it safe to use a shipping agent the seller recommends?
Treat it with suspicion. Choose and check your own shipper. If a seller insists you pay their agent, especially before you have seen the car, walk away.
How can I check a car shipping company is real?
Find it yourself rather than through a link you were sent, look it up on Companies House, ring the number on its own website, read independent reviews, and make sure the bank account name matches the company.
Who do I report a car shipping scam to?
Your bank first, straight away. Then Report Fraud, which replaced Action Fraud in December 2025, at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, report it to Police Scotland.
How do I know a message is really from you?
Ring us on 01332 810442, the number on this site, and ask. We are happy to confirm anything you have been sent.
Found a car abroad and want a straight answer on what it will cost to get here? Use the quote form and a real person will reply.
