For almost everyone with a phone it has become a common occurrence to get a few robocalls here and there, though sometimes it can feel like a lot more. One common robocall scam is the extended car warranty variant in which the robocall or person on the other end will try to sell you a car warranty. You may be familiar with these scams if you ever bought a car from a dealership at one point in the last ten years or so. Regardless of the type of car or dealership, the dealer will keep records of any car purchase. These records are uploaded to a central database and shared between insurance companies and states. This makes it possible to do a vehicle history report.
These robocalls tend to mention a car warranty that is expiring or will offer a new extension on your current vehicle’s warranty. However, these are all scam calls trying to get you to press that number to connect to a person who will then steal money and information from their victims. This can even happen if you bought the car a long time ago from the dealership, so it may seem legitimate at first.
Most likely the call will use phrases like “motor vehicle notification,” “notice of warranty ending,” or “final notice” on a warranty. These phrases will often make it so that the ending of the vehicle warranty is urgent, whether it is true or not, and action must be taken right away. If you were to connect to a person through one of these robocalls, the person on the other end would pressure you into buying a “service contract” or “extended warranty.”
Remember that warranties are offered by the manufacturer of the vehicle, and they will never contact the owner to extend a warranty. Keep in mind that a dealership will offer an extended warranty at the time of purchase of a vehicle rather than contacting the car owner years down the line.
If you remember this then you’ll know that the person on the other end of the robocall will have nothing to do with the car dealership or manufacturer of the vehicle. The person will begin to pressure you into a contract and payment without much detail of the contract itself. Do not be fooled if they know the make and model of your vehicle as information can be grabbed through various means such as Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) lookups and scouring public records.
These scams tend to run rampant due to low information and inaction by potential victims. The first step to fight back is to be informed about common methods so you can identify the situation. And scams can change from year to year, so it’s important to remain educated and vigilant
However, if you are a victim of one of these scams, it’s best to report the situation to the local authorities instead of doing nothing. They may not help right away, but they’ll be able to use the information to prevent others from being scammed. You can contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) about frauds and scams here. You can also file a complaint with the state attorney general here.
If you believe that you have a low credit score, you should pull your credit report and examine what exactly is giving you a bad score. Contact us at Fix Your Credit Consulting for a FREE consultation. Call (877) 212-2450 for more information. We will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have about your credit history and score.
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