A fake car exporter website usually looks professional, shows real-looking cars at prices well below similar cars elsewhere, and then asks you to pay a private person or an account outside Japan. Before you send any money, check the web address, the company’s official record in Japan and the name on the bank account, and contact the company through details you found yourself.
Key takeaways
- A price far below similar cars is the most common bait. Treat it as a reason to check, not a reason to hurry.
- Look the company up on Japan’s official Corporate Number site, and make sure the name and address match the website.
- A genuine Japanese exporter is paid into its own company account. Never pay a private person, a cash-transfer service such as Western Union, or an account the website did not list.
- Money sent to a fake seller is often hard or impossible to get back. Check first, pay second.
How fake exporter websites work
A fake seller builds a website that looks like a real Japanese exporter, takes your payment and never ships a car.
The Embassy of Japan in Kenya has warned about buyers who paid sellers claiming to be genuine Japanese dealers, who then never shipped the car. Some fake sites invent a company. Others copy the name, address and photos of a real company, so the details look right when you check them quickly. Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency describes the same pattern in online shopping: copied photos and descriptions, very low prices, false addresses, and payment into a private person’s account.
The checks below are quick, and they are the same checks we suggest for any exporter, including us.
1. The price is far below similar cars
A price well below what other sellers ask for the same model, year and grade is the first warning sign.
The Embassy of Japan in Tanzania notes that buyers lured by low prices send money abroad without checking the seller. Compare the same model on several sites. If one car is much lower, ask why, and ask for the auction sheet. Our auction sheet guide shows what to look for. To compare prices on our side, browse our current stock on autocj.co.jp.
2. The web address is slightly wrong or very new
Read the address letter by letter. Fake sites often add a word, a hyphen or a different ending to a real company’s name.
- Check the ending. A .co.jp address can only be registered by a company registered in Japan, and each company can hold only one. It is a good sign, but not proof: check the spelling too.
- Check the age of the domain. Enter the address in the ICANN Lookup tool; for .jp addresses, use JPRS WHOIS. A website registered only recently that claims a long history is a warning sign.
- Check the email domain. Staff emails should end with the same domain as the website, not a free email service.
3. The company is not in Japan’s official records
Every company registered in Japan has a 13-digit corporate number that anyone can look up.
Ask the company for its 13-digit corporate number and enter it on the National Tax Agency’s Corporate Number Publication Site. If the English page says “No registration in English”, open the Japanese page for that number, which shows the registered name and head office address. A missing English name alone is not a warning sign. If the number does not exist, or the address differs from the website, stop. A registration alone does not prove the website is genuine, because fake sites copy real companies. Our guide on how to verify a Japanese car exporter before you pay explains every check.
4. You are asked to pay a private person or an unusual account
A business normally takes payment into its own company account. Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency warns buyers to be careful when a seller asks for payment into an individual’s account.
- The beneficiary name on the invoice must be the company’s exact name.
- Be careful if a seller asks for a cash-transfer service such as Western Union instead of a bank transfer.
- Do not pay an account the company’s official website does not list.
At Autocom Japan, all our bank accounts are in Japan and the beneficiary is always “Autocom Japan Inc.”. We don’t use money-transfer services such as Western Union, and our local offices never accept cash. The official list is on our bank accounts page, and how to pay for a car from Japan by bank transfer explains the process.
5. The bank details change during the deal
A message saying “our account has changed, please pay this new one” is a classic fraud.
Japan’s Information-technology Promotion Agency (IPA) advises confirming any sudden change of bank account or payment method by a channel other than email. Call a number you found yourself on the company’s official website, not the number in the message.
6. The seller pushes you to pay today
“Another buyer wants this car, pay within the hour” is pressure, not service.
A genuine exporter will answer your questions and let you check its details before you pay. If you are rushed, pause and check everything in this list.
7. Contact is only by WhatsApp or social media
Be careful when a seller has no landline, no working company email and no physical address you can confirm.
Fake sellers also pretend to be real companies on WhatsApp and Facebook. Check every number and page against the company’s own website. See our list of official Autocom Japan channels.
8. The photos appear elsewhere under another name
Fake sites often copy car photos from genuine listings.
Do a reverse image search on a car photo. If the same photos appear on another company’s site, ask the seller to send a new photo of the car with today’s date written on paper beside the chassis number plate.
If you think you have paid a fake seller
Act fast. Money sent to a fake seller is often hard to recover, but acting fast gives you the best chance.
- Call your bank at once and ask whether the transfer can be stopped or recalled.
- Report it to your local police, as the Embassy of Japan in Kenya advises, with screenshots, the website address, the invoice and the payment receipt.
- Tell the real company if the fake site used its name, so it can warn other buyers.
If someone is using Autocom Japan’s name, contact our head office in Yokohama at sales@autocj.co.jp. Read our scam alert and the full guide on how to avoid scams when buying cars from Japan.
Frequently asked questions
How can I tell if a Japanese car exporter website is real?
Search its corporate number on Japan’s Corporate Number site and check that the name and address match, that the web address is spelled correctly, and that payment goes to an account in the company’s own name.
Is a low price always a scam?
No, but a price far below similar cars is the most common bait. Ask why the price is low and check the auction sheet before you pay.
The website has a .co.jp address. Is it safe?
A .co.jp address can only be registered by a company registered in Japan, so it is a good sign. Still check the exact spelling and the company record, because a fake site can copy a real name with a small change.
Can I pay a staff member’s personal account to save time?
No. A genuine exporter is paid into its own company account. At Autocom, the beneficiary is always “Autocom Japan Inc.” and the account is in Japan.
How do I check the official Autocom Japan website?
Our website is autocj.co.jp and staff emails end with @autocj.co.jp. Our bank accounts are listed only on our official bank accounts page.
Sources
- Consumer Affairs Agency (Japan): Warning about fake online shopping sites (4 August 2026, Japanese)
- Embassy of Japan in Kenya: Second-hand vehicles (30 October 2015)
- Embassy of Japan in Tanzania: Caution on used vehicle imports (9 March 2022)
- IPA: Business email compromise countermeasures (Japanese, accessed 12 October 2026)
- National Tax Agency: Corporate Number Publication Site
- JPRS: Guide to JP domain names (accessed 12 October 2026)
- ICANN Lookup and JPRS WHOIS
- Autocom Japan: Security notice (accessed 12 October 2026)
