Scammers Selling Excavators:

How a Fake Company Duped Construction Companies and Contractors.

Imagine it. You're a contractor that needs to build a garage for a customer. But there's a problem: you don't have the right heavy equipment for the job.

So, you hop online and find a company selling used heavy machinery. After searching for a bit, you happen across Stephens Truck & Equipment in Millbrook, Alabama. The site looks legit, the prices are fair, and the employees are responsive. You’re sold. You place an order for $20 grand.

You also just lost $20 grand to scam artists.

What Happened?

What started in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, ended with hundreds of thousands of dollars being stolen from multiple businesses across five states.

Scammers in Malaysia created a website with all the information and weight of Stephens Truck & Equipment. Stephens was a reputable business, but the company closed years ago.

Based on the Better Business Bureau’s assessment, the fraudulent website was very well made. The only tell was the use of stock imagery for the fake company’s recent projects and current staff. 

How can you protect yourself?

Scammers are always trying to think up new ways to trick people, but there are some things to look for:

Social Media Presence: This takes time and energy to keep up. Check how regularly and how far back a businesses social media runs.

Site Legitimacy: Check the business’ website for misspelled words, grammatical errors, or other “off” elements. Also, Check the site's domain name and domain age.

Reverse Image Searching: Use Google’s reverse image search feature to check if a website's images show up anywhere else. Scammers will pull unrelated images from all over the internet to fill out their sites.

Check with the BBB: The BBB is dedicated to promoting fair business practices and protecting consumers from shady scams. Make sure to vet prospective business partners with the BBB’s resources.

For full details on this story, check out the BBB’s accounting of events.