THE SCAM
The farm equipment that never arrived.
You see an ad for a tractor, a backhoe, or livestock. The price looks fair. The seller looks like a real farm equipment business — maybe one you have heard of before.
You call or message. They send a purchase agreement and an invoice that look normal. They ask for a wire transfer as a deposit or the full payment, then give you a delivery date.
The delivery never comes. The seller stops answering, or blames the truck, the loading dock, anything. The business was never real.
THE RED FLAG
A big-ticket item you have not seen in person, sold only online, with payment demanded by wire transfer. Wire money is hard to get back once it is gone.
Watch for a seller who lives in the ads and search results, not at a real lot you can visit. A polished invoice does not prove the equipment exists.
THE RULE
Never wire money for farm equipment you have not seen in person or had inspected by someone you trust. Search the business name plus "scam" or "complaint" before you pay, and scroll past the paid ads to find the real listing.
If the only way to pay is wire, gift card, crypto, or a payment app, walk away.
(Source: FTC consumer alert, September 2026)
SIGN-OFF
That's today's red flag. One scam, one red flag, one rule — pass it to someone who clicks first and asks questions later.
Got a scam text or a sketchy email? Send it via the contact page — the best ones make future red flags.