Update: The “Totally Legitimate” TikTok Car Seller Blocked Me
Well, that escalated quickly.
I've been documenting the TikTok account landmark75, which describes itself as “Landmark Auto” and has been advertising vehicles at prices that raised plenty of questions—including a supposed 2021 Dodge Scat Pack with 45,000 miles for $4,000 with $500 down.
Then they contacted me.
At 2:45 in the morning.
They assured me:
“have no intentions of scamming you or anybody here I'm just on here to sell cars to make a living that's all.”
Great.
So I started asking questions.
Apparently, that was the problem.
🚗 I Asked Where the Dealership Was Located
This shouldn't have been difficult.
They told me:
Savannah, Georgia.
Okay.
I asked:
What's the address?
Not exactly an interrogation worthy of the FBI.
If you're operating a car lot and offering to sell and ship vehicles to customers, asking where the car lot is located seems like a fairly reasonable question.
I wanted information I could independently verify.
Then something interesting happened.
😂 Apparently I Asked One Question Too Many
Today I went back to the TikTok account.
The profile is still there.
At the time of my latest screenshot, it showed:
1,261 followers
4,803 likes
The bio still says:
“Landmark Auto 🚗”
“Your Trusted Auto Dealer”
It still lists a Gmail address.
It still says:
“WhatsApp only”
But now the videos are gone—from my view.
TikTok tells me:
“No content”
and:
“You cannot view the videos due to this user's privacy settings.”
Well, that's convenient.
The account that contacted me in the middle of the night and wanted to discuss selling me a vehicle apparently no longer wants me looking at its vehicle listings.
🚩 Let's Review the Timeline
This is what makes the progression interesting.
I saw vehicles advertised at unusually low prices and down payments.
I started documenting them.
The account contacted me.
I openly questioned whether the operation was legitimate.
They told me they had no intention of scamming anybody and were simply trying to make a living selling cars.
I asked where the business was located.
They gave me a city and state:
Savannah, GA.
I asked for the actual street address.
And now I can no longer view their TikTok content.
That's what I can document from my screenshots.
Whether TikTok's restriction reflects a block or another privacy setting, I can't determine that independently from this screen alone. But the result for me is the same:
I can't see their videos anymore.
🤔 That's an Interesting Way to Build Customer Confidence
Remember, their profile calls them:
“Your Trusted Auto Dealer”
Trust generally works better when customers can verify things.
If I were considering sending hundreds of dollars to an online vehicle seller, I'd want some pretty basic information:
Where is your dealership?
What's the street address?
What's your legal business name?
What's your dealer license number?
What's the VIN?
Can I inspect the vehicle?
Can someone I choose inspect it?
Can I call the dealership using a number I find independently?
Can you provide the complete purchase and financing terms?
Those aren't hostile questions.
Those are car-buying questions.
🚩 Blocking Questions Doesn't Answer Questions
Here's the important part.
Not being able to view the account's videos doesn't, by itself, prove that every listing was fraudulent.
But it also doesn't resolve a single concern I raised.
The $4,000 Scat Pack doesn't suddenly make more sense.
The $500 down payments don't become independently verified.
“WhatsApp only” doesn't establish a dealership.
“Savannah, GA” still isn't a street address.
And preventing a skeptical viewer from seeing the listings doesn't provide any of the documentation that could establish the seller's legitimacy.
It simply prevents that viewer from continuing to examine the content.
😂 Apparently Due Diligence Is Bad for Business
Maybe my mistake was asking too many questions.
Perhaps I should have said:
“$500 down? Fantastic! Where do I send it?”
Instead, I committed the unforgivable sin of online car shopping.
I asked:
“What's the address?”
Oops.
🏡 This Is Exactly Why I Say: Be a Good Neighbor
Someone else might see a beautiful car and an affordable down payment and think they've finally found a solution.
Maybe their credit isn't great.
Maybe their current vehicle just died.
Maybe they desperately need transportation to keep their job.
That person doesn't need ridicule.
They need someone willing to say:
“Before you send that money, let's verify this.”
Check the dealership.
Check the address.
Check the VIN.
Check the dealer license.
Check the title.
Check the vehicle's market value.
Call a phone number obtained independently.
And never let someone rush you into sending a deposit before you've verified who you're dealing with.
I'll Keep Asking Questions
I said I'd continue engaging with this account for as long as I was able.
Apparently, “as long as I was able” didn't last very long.
😂
But there's a useful lesson here.
When you're considering sending money to someone online, don't judge legitimacy by how confidently they tell you they're legitimate.
Judge it by how easily you can independently verify their claims.
And if asking ordinary questions suddenly ends the conversation?
Don't stop asking questions.
Just stop sending money.
Follow the continuing scam series at NielFlamm.com/blog.
