Like to identify get warranty scams? (2023)

FAQs

What do car warranty scams say? ›

Warning Signs. A call or mailing says it's urgent for you to take immediate action to continue your car's warranty coverage. An outside company offers to extend the factory warranty, something only the vehicle's manufacturer can do.

There could be two reasons these people are contacting you: They could want to sell you something disguised as an extension on your current car warranty, or they could be trying to take your personal information. If successful, scammers could take hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars from unsuspecting people.

Before buying any extended warranty, it's critical to do your own independent research. And here's the thing: While some policies are all-out scams, and some are actually great, many others fall into a gray area. They aren't scams, but they aren't a good value either.

RAY: But you're right that a lot of dealers are not eager to fix problems under warranty. Generally speaking, the manufacturer pays a lower labor rate to the dealer for warranty work. And, since the parts come from the manufacturer, the dealership can't earn its usual markup on the cost of parts, either.

The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday told carriers to stop delivering those annoying auto warranty robocalls and said it has launched a formal investigation. Why it matters: The scam has resulted in more than 8 billion unwanted and possibly illegal phone calls.

Who did the FCC identify as responsible for the robocalls? The FCC named Roy Cox Jr, Aaron Michael Jones, their Sumco Panama companies, and international associates as the operatives behind upwards of 8 billion auto warranty robocalls since 2018.

In a complaint filed last month by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, the ringleaders of the auto-warranty robocall scheme are identified as Roy Melvin Cox, Jr. and Aaron Michael Jones, two California individuals described as repeat offenders of US telemarketing rules.

You can register your numbers on the national Do Not Call list at no cost by calling 1-888-382-1222 (voice) or 1-866-290-4236 (TTY).

How do I secure my phone from spam calls? ›

On your device, open the Phone app . Spam and Call Screen. Turn See caller & spam ID on or off. Optional: To block spam calls on your phone, turn on "Filter spam calls." You don't get missed call or voicemail notifications, but filtered calls are in your call history, and you can check your voicemail.

Third-party warranty companies combine the vehicle and address information with other publicly available mailing lists to discover names and phone numbers of people whose cars may be reaching the end of their factory warranty periods.

Buying an extended warranty is always beneficial, especially if you are looking at keeping your car for long. Yes, it may not cover some parts and faults, but what you get is a lot. And even though it might cost you a premium, it can save you big money in the long run or help you sell your car.

You can cancel an extended warranty at any time and you'll get a prorated refund for the unused portion of your policy. If the warranty was included in your loan, your car payment won't drop, but you may pay off the car sooner after the refund is deducted from your balance.

Warranties provided by the manufacturer as part of the vehicle cost typically cover only certain problems with the vehicle. Extended warranties or service contracts sold for an additional charge typically cover problems with mechanical and electrical parts not covered by the manufacturers' warranty.

How Do Dealerships Make Money On Warranties? Dealerships make significant money from aftermarket sales, which includes selling gap insurance, car products and accessories, and extended car warranties. Each warranty plan that a dealership sells can add up to $2,000 per purchase to its bottom line.

Environmental damage: If your vehicle was damaged in a fire, flood, hailstorm, earthquake or any other environmental disaster, the automaker will not honor your warranty. Altered odometer: If your car's odometer has been disconnected, tampered with or replaced, the dealership cannot determine the exact mileage.

The auto manufacturers never notify the consumer; so only the consumer who complains loudly enough gets covered by the secret warranty. Other consumers end up bearing the costs of the manufacturer's mistakes. Examples of Secret Warranties.

The FCC has authority to issue civil monetary penalties, revoke a license or deny a renewal application. The FCC vigorously enforces this law where we find violations. In addition, the United States Department of Justice has authority to pursue criminal violations.

How do I report a spammer to the FCC? ›

If you think you've received a political robocall or text that does not comply with the FCC's rules, you can file an informal complaint with the FCC at fcc.gov/complaints. If you are receiving texts that you didn't ask for, report the sender by forwarding the texts to 7726 (or "SPAM").

If you answer the call, your number is considered 'good' by the scammers, even if you don't necessarily fall for the scam. They will try again because they know someone on the other side is a potential victim of fraud. The less you answer, the fewer robocalls you will receive.

The FCC investigation determined that since at least 2018 two California men, Roy Cox Jr. and Michael Aaron Jones, orchestrated the scam that sent billions of calls using a network of domestic and international voice services.

No, not directly. A hacker can call you, pretending to be someone official, and so gain access to your personal details. Armed with that information, they could begin hacking your online accounts. But they can't break into your phone's software and modify it through phone calls alone.

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.

Research the phone number.

Spoofed calls are nearly impossible to track. However, I always recommend running a Google search on the phone number. Sometimes other people will have complained about the number and have connected the number to a company.

Hard fact of life: Robocalls aren't going to stop. But you can prevent them from ever reaching you, thanks to a handful hacks from tech experts. If you made a list of the little things that bothered you the most, phone call scams would no doubt be at the top.

That's because many spam calls originate from high-cost international phone lines. If you accidentally call back or connect to one of these numbers, you'll be responsible for a hefty phone bill. And the scammer on the other end will make money off of you. So next time you get a spam call, just let it go to voicemail.

Block calls from your phone

Receive an unwanted call? You can: Press *61 to add the number of the last call received to your call block list. Press *80 to turn call blocking off.

Getting a lot of unwanted calls would mean your number has been sold to a scammer group. Once your number is sold, it's used by all the scammers who have access to it. They try to defraud you in multiple ways by posing as professionals. Some might pretend to be from insurance agencies.

Why do random numbers keep calling me and not saying anything? ›

These calls are referred to as 'robocalls,' which are automated telephone calls that call thousands of numbers. When the other end of the line is silent, it could actually be an automated computer system that's calling for the purpose of building a list of humans to target for theft.

proof of purchase - usually a receipt showing where and when you bought the goods. details of what the problem is. a photocopy of the warranty or guarantee.

You can check with a dealership to find out if your vehicle is still under warranty. Write down the VIN and your mileage. Then, contact a local dealer and provide this information to see if the car is under warranty.

A warranty is a type of guarantee that a manufacturer or similar party makes regarding the condition of its product. It also refers to the terms and situations in which repairs or exchanges will be made if the product does not function as originally described or intended.

The downside to purchasing an extended warranty is that it's possible the warranty won't cover as much in repairs as you paid for the plan. As a car owner, you have to weigh the likelihood of this and consider average repair costs along with how you plan to pay for them.

While it may sound like a good idea in theory, extended warranties often come with a high price tag and don't necessarily cover everything that could go wrong. Plus, many people who buy extended warranties never use them. In that case, an extended warranty becomes a cost with no financial return.

Extended warranty plans typically cover your vehicle anywhere from 2 to 7 years. If you expect to keep your car for several years, a longer plan may make sense for you. Even if you do sell your car before the warranty runs out, your extended protection plan may be transferable.

In most cases, the reason a dealer can give for refusing to cancel an extended warranty is if you are making the cancellation request after the cut-off point. More often than not, a warranty provider will put a condition in the contract, stipulating a strict period for backing out of the warranty plan.

If you want to keep your automobile for a long time, an extended warranty on cars is always good. Yes, it does not cover everything, but what you do receive is quite a bit. Even though it's more expensive, it might save you a lot of money in the long run or make it easier to sell your vehicle.

Submit Your Paperwork

We also highly recommend that you contact the original dealership. However, if the dealership is no longer in business you should contact the warranty company. On average your refund should arrive in four weeks or more depending on the date you might have submitted your paperwork.

What is the longest extended warranty? ›

Manufacturer warranty exclusions

Normal wear-and-tear parts. Routine maintenance services. Environmental damage. Aftermarket parts and alterations.

An extended warranty, sometimes called a service agreement, a service contract, or a maintenance agreement, is a prolonged warranty offered to consumers in addition to the standard warranty on new items. The extended warranty may be offered by the warranty administrator, the retailer or the manufacturer.

The promise of future payment: Dishonest car buyers may try to get you to float loan payments or wait until they get their next paycheck before paying you. Intentional overpayment: In this common scam, the dishonest buyer sends you a cashier's check or money order for more than the agreed-upon price.

You can check with a dealership to find out if your vehicle is still under warranty. Write down the VIN and your mileage. Then, contact a local dealer and provide this information to see if the car is under warranty.

It may seem obvious, but the first thing you should do if you believe you have been misled by an auto dealer is to contact the dealer. In fact, many states mandate that you notify the dealer first and provide it with an opportunity to correct the situation.

In a fake check scam, a person you don't know asks you to deposit a check. It's usually for more than they owe you, and it's sometimes for several thousand dollars. They tell you to send some of the money back to them or to another person. They always have a good story to explain why you can't keep all the money.

How do you tell if a car dealership is ripping you off? ›

Scammers can easily post fake photos and safety reports. Don't send money until you've seen the vehicle in real life. Make sure you choose a safe, well-lit, public spot to meet the seller. Ask to see the seller's identification and make sure the same name is on the vehicle's title.

You can find information about your vehicle's warranty in the owner's manual. However, it will not confirm for you if there is or isn't any warranty left on the vehicle. You can also find most vehicle brand's warranty information online with a google search. Warranties start on the date the vehicle was first sold new.

A new car warranty, also known as a manufacturer's warranty, helps pay for replacement parts or specific repairs during the stated warranty period. A new car warranty's length may vary by manufacturer, but most last at least three years or the first 36,000 miles, whichever comes first.

The federal government gathers evidence in online scam cases through a variety of means. One common way is by obtaining search warrants. Law enforcement will obtain a search warrant from a judge authorizing them to search for and seize evidence related to the online scam.

Advertised vehicles shall be sold at or below the advertised total price, with statutorily permitted exclusions, regardless of whether the purchaser has knowledge of the advertised total price.

First, we want to point out that true scams are rare. Buyers can, in some cases, be hard to do business with. However, it's important to make a distinction between a troublesome sale, and malicious or fraudulent car purchasers, who will see you get less than the value of your car, or in some cases no money at all.