A Free Public Service

SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is an inactive attorney in San Mateo County, California.

March 10, 2021

AUTO WARRANTY SCAM 

If you own a vehicle and a phone, you may receive calls from scammers posing as representatives of a car dealer, manufacturer or insurer telling you that your auto warranty or insurance is about to expire. The call will include some sort of pitch for renewing your warranty or policy.

Example:

“Hi there, this is Shasta calling in regard to your Volkswagen warranty. The warranty is up for renewal. I’d like to congratulate you on your $1,000 instant rebate and free maintenance and oil change package for being a loyal customer. Call me back at 888-206-XXXX to redeem now. Once again that number was 888-206-XXXX. Thank you so much. Have a great day”.

During the call – which often begins automated or pre-recorded – you may be instructed to press a certain number or stay on the line, then be asked to provide personal information, which potentially can be used to defraud you.

What makes it particularly hard to discern if this type of call is fraudulent is that the scammer may have specific information about your particular car and warranty that they use to deceive you into thinking they are a legitimate caller.

Protective steps you can take:

First, do not provide any personal information, such as a social security number, credit card information, driver’s license number or bank account information to any caller unless you can verify you are dealing directly with a legitimate company with which you have an established business relationship. Telephone scammers are good at what they do and may imply that they work for a company you trust. Don’t fall for it.

If you have caller ID you can screen incoming calls. Legitimate telemarketers are required to transmit or display their phone number and the name and/or the phone number of the company they aare representing. The display must include a phone number that you can call during regular business hours to ask that the company no longer call you.

Avoid answering any calls you suspect may be spoofed. You should be cautious even if a number appears authentic. Criminals may engage in caller ID “spoofing” – deliberately falsifying the information transmitted to your Caller ID display to disguise their identity. 

Filing a complaint

In addition to being fraudulent in nature, these calls likely violate telemarketing and robocall rules. You can file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission http://www.fcc.gov about suspected scam calls.

While the FCC does not award individual money damages to consumers, your complaint may help identify scammers so appropriate action can be taken. In some cases, the FCC can issue warning citations and impose fines against companies who are violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

If you think you have received a call involving fraud, you can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov.

ATTRIBUTION: FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMUNICATIONS