ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis office of the Better Business Bureau® (BBB®) is alerting consumers nationwide to a sophisticated scam involving a fake online retailer impersonating a legitimate Missouri business, Cook Equipment & Trucking, based in Marble Hill, MO.
Consumers from across the U.S. have reported losing more than $223,000 after attempting to purchase heavy equipment and farm machinery through fraudulent websites and Facebook Marketplace ads.
Victims say they were ghosted after wiring money for equipment that never arrived.
The real Cook Equipment & Trucking, a small business operating since 2010, confirmed it has no website and is not affiliated with any online sales. The impersonators have registered three fake websites, the most recent on July 14, 2025, and continue to run deceptive ads on social media.
“Those shopping for heavy equipment and vehicles online should do their due diligence so they don’t fall victim to a virtual vehicle vendor scam,” said Michelle L. Corey, BBB St. Louis President and CEO. “If an item is priced well below market value, that’s a red flag.”
Reported losses to BBB include:
- $45,000 – Oak Hills, California (skid steer loader)
- $32,000 – Hancock, Michigan (excavator)
- $29,500 – Amanda, Ohio (trailer)
- $29,000 – Greenville, North Carolina (trailer)
- $28,000 – Eastman, Wisconsin (skid steer loader)
- $31,000 – Des Moines, Iowa (excavator)
- $29,000 – Blue, Arizona (skid steer)
BBB tips to avoid online purchase scams:
- Research the business at BBB.org or call your local BBB.
- Be skeptical of deals that seem too good to be true.
- Verify the website and contact the business directly.
- Read all terms and understand refund policies.
- Use a credit card for added protection.
- Report scams to BBB Scam Tracker at https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker
- your state attorney general, the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/
- and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at https://www.ic3.gov/
- Also notify the social media platform where the fraud was discovered.
- For more insights, see BBB’s 2024 study on virtual vehicle vendor scams at https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/30069-bbb-study-update-virtual-vehicle-vendor-scams-and-related-fraud-persist-post-pandemic