QUINCY — Internet scam artists adopted the well-known name of a former Quincy car dealer to take money from unsuspecting shoppers, according to a recent report.
Don O’Brien, the Better Business Bureau’s Quincy regional director, said his office was contacted about a website using the Bob Oberling Used Cars name to solicit sales through, among other means, Facebook Marketplace posts.
Oberling, a long-time car dealer in Quincy, passed away in May 2020. His car lot at the corner of North 12th Street and Koch’s Lane closed after his passing.
The Quincy BBB office received a call from a consumer in the state of Louisiana inquiring about the dealership. This shopper was interested in buying a Ford Bronco priced at $27,000 listed on the new website.
“This was a particularly well thought-out plan,” O’Brien said. “The website was very sophisticated, and if a consumer was wary, they could find images of the car lot filled with cars on Google Maps’ Street View feature.”
O’Brien said what’s easy to overlook is that the Street View images are dated from August of 2019.
“They’re doing something we call a Virtual Vehicle Vendor Scam,” O’Brien said. “They find the names of real dealers, mostly those that have gone out of business, and create very professional websites.”
The shopper from Louisiana contacted the Better Business Bureau before handing over the…
