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Jay's Blog
Auto Related Scams
Cars are a huge part of our life, especially in rural America where
our basic services all seem to be in different directions. Not
surprisingly, scammers have targeted this situation with a number of
schemes. I will mention a couple; new ones pop up all the time.
Traffic tickets/citations: Typically you get a text saying you have
unpaid tickets or fines, and if you don't send money right away, your
license and vehicle registrations will be suspended. In fact, I got one
yesterday. First, the authorities don't notify people via text. They
use mail, usually certified. Second, the text said they were from the
DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles). But in Iowa we have the Department
of Transportation (DOT).
Unpaid Tolls: In some states when you pass a toll station it's
automated. It reads your license and sends you a bill, unless you go
on the tollway frequently you have a unit in your car whereby you pay
monthly. So the scam is to send you a purported toll bill but it's a
route you have never traveled. Again, they threaten license
suspension. Of course it's a fraud. (Interestingly, we have gone
through several of these on vacation and have never received a bill).
Vehicle Warranties: Some of these my be legitimate, but be careful.
They have many exclusions, or won't pay what the repairs really cost.
Or they won't pay for repairs as they are done today. For example when
an auto alternator goes bad it's often the bearings or the diode.
Years ago shops would replace bearings or the diode. Then it became
cheaper to just swap out the whole alternator. But some warranties
will only pay for fixing an alternator, not replacing it.
These are just a few examples. Be cautious. If you have any questions
about these or other situations contact me, Camielle or Jon at
Tri-Valley Bank.
Jay