How to Avoid Free Car Scams

Warning signs

• You are asked to pay an application, processing, delivery or "release" fee
• Payment by gift card, wire transfer, crypto or payment app
• Promises of a guaranteed free car or a "government car grant"
• Requests for your Social Security number or bank login early on
• Pressure to act today, or contact only through social media messages

How to check a charity

• Search the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search tool
• Look the group up on Charity Navigator or the BBB Wise Giving Alliance
• Call the charity using a number from its official website
• Ask your caseworker or 2-1-1 if they know the program

If you were targeted

Stop contact, do not send more money, and report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to your state attorney general. If you shared bank details, call your bank right away.

Our promise: Free Car Assistance never charges a fee to apply and never asks for your Social Security number or bank login.

Common free car scams

• "Government car grant" ads that collect a fee or your personal data
• Fake giveaways on social media that ask you to pay shipping or a "transfer fee"
• Look-alike charity websites using names similar to real nonprofits
• Car sales scams where a "seller" asks for payment before you see the car

A safe way to search

Start with trusted sources: your state's human services agency, 2-1-1, the National Consumer Law Center's car program directory, and our state guides. A legitimate program will explain its rules, never pressures you, and never charges an application fee.

Frequently asked questions

Related help

• Government Car Vouchers
• How to Get a Free Car
• Car Grants

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