Tips to Avoid New & Preowned Car Warranty Scams

You must be a skeptic when you get mail or phone calls claiming to warn you that your new or pre owned car warranty is about to run out. The companies instigating these contacts often try to make you think they're representing your dealer or car maker. They use attention-grabbing, even alarming, phrases such as Motor Vehicle Notification, Final Warranty Notice or Notice of Interruption, as if there were a looming car crisis. Of course, there's always a toll-free number you're urged to call fast for more information.

In reality, pitches such as these come from businesses unrelated to you. They're hawking extended warranties (technically service contracts) for pre owned cars that frequently cost hundreds or thousands of bucks. People who respond to these extended warranty pitches can expect to find themselves talking with (or listening to) a high-pressure sales person demanding personal financial info and even an up-front payment before you get any details about the service contract. Perhaps the worst part is, if you buy a service contract, the company that sold it to you might well be out of business long before you need repairs they were supposed to cover.

The following tips will help you avoid the expensive disaster that warranty scams end up being. After reading them, if you really do need one and want to talk to an established company about an Extended Auto Warranty, Click HERE.

Protect Yourself

  • Never take at face value the information you get via mail, email, or phone calls dealing with renewing your pre owned car (or any vehicle) warranty. Your car's warranty might not be expiring at all, or it could already have expired. Consult your owner’s manual, contact the dealership where you bought your car, or the vehicle manufacturer to learn the true status of your warranty.

  • Beware of fast talkers. Pre owned car and other vehicle warranty telemarketers often use high-pressure pitch people to confuse you and cover their real motive. Never rush into anything. Always demand time and written information describing any offer before committing or buying.

  • Don't EVER divulge personal or sensitive information such as your bank account, credit card or Social Security numbers. Neither should you give anyone you don't know well your driver’s license number nor Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). Scammers frequently ask for personal info during an unsolicited sales pitch, only to use it later to perpetrate other frauds against you.

  • Be disbelieving of any unrequested sales calls if the call is a recorded message or if your phone number is on the National Do Not Call Registry. You shouldn't get recorded sales pitches unless you have specifically agreed to accept such calls, with few exceptions — read New Rules for Robocalls to learn more. And if your number is on the National Do Not Call Registry, a salesperson may call you only if you have agreed to accept calls from the company the salesperson works for, if you have bought something from the company within the last 18 months or if you have asked the company for information within the last three months. 

Get your extended auto warranty quote!

To report violations of the National Do Not Call Registry or to register a phone number, visit DoNotCall.gov or call 1-888-382-1222.