Extended Warranty Scam: How It Works
Car drivers, be forewarned of the Auto Warranty Services Scam aka the Extended Warranty Letter or the Motor Vehicle Service Notification. It is very professional looking. Many victims have already been fooled by the “official” extended warranty offer they are receiving via snail mail.
The letter is sealed in such a way that you must tear the edges off to access its contents, a sealing method is usually seen in “official” communications, making it seem all the more legitimate.
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In the letter, you are urged to take advantage of an offer to extend your warranty coverage for your vehicle up to 100,000 miles. The letter also states that your initial warranty is about to expire. The letter provides a toll-free number to call (1-800-639-9440) in order to take advantage of the generous coverage being provided.
Did you receive anything like this? Click the link below to see the whole document on Kirill Zubovsky's blog:
Extended Warranty Letter Scam Exposed
Once you call the number, the very professional and courteous salesperson gives you multiple options of extended warranty insurance which you can purchase for a mere deposit of only a few hundred dollars.
Of course, once you have paid this deposit you are out those few hundred dollars – and no coverage information exists in your name.
Extended Warranty Letter Scam: How to Avoid
These types of scams are often very convincing because they are so professionally done. However, there are a few red flags that give away the true scam nature of these types of communication.
In a true extended warranty offer, the company will list the dealership at which you purchased your automobile. The Motor Vehicle Service Notification scam letter contains no such information. Secondly, while the communication may appear to be from a company such as Toyota, there is no actual evidence to confirm that this is an official offer from the manufacturer.
Of course, it always helps to fall back on the old tenet: if it seems too good to be true, it most likely is.
While we are talking about cars and scams, beware of a couple of other fraudulent activities that happen these days: the Extended Warranty Call, the Ignition Interlock Device Fraud, the Bounced Check Scam, and fake Car Shipping Companies.
How to Report the Motor Vehicle Notification Scam
Make your family and friends aware of the Extended Warranty Letter scam by sharing it on social media using the buttons provided. You can also officially report the scammers to the Federal Trade Commission using the link below:
Report Scammers To The FTC Here
How to protect yourself more:
If you want to be the first to find out the most notorious scams every week, feel free to subscribe to the Scam Detector newsletter here. You'll receive periodical emails and we promise not to spam. Last but not least, use the Comments section below to expose other scammers.
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Hello, volunteer with AARP.
Anytime you get a bill or related mail that you don’t understand or agree with, don’t throw it away. You should write on it, diagonally, in red pen, REFUSED FOR FRAUD, NO CONTRACT. SIGN AND DATE. Then send it back. Especially for debt collectors.
I recently bought a car in March of this year. Within a week I received a second notice on a yellow form. Unknowingly I signed up for this warranty , my wife later googled the company name and came back with information of it being a scam. I called them and on the other end of the call I heard what sounded like traffic. I then tried to cancel, they now call daily bugging my wife and I for a payment after we cancelled.
Got a letter with phone number 18004220317 & 18004225036 español. Carshield 333 mid rivers mall drive St. Peter’s MO 63376. Letter includes a customer id talking about activating a vehicle service contract. I have no car, haven’t had one in over a decade, and my credit report shows nothing about a car being bought. Clearly a scam. Hope this helps the next person getting a letter like this.
I recently received a "second notice" about a getting an extended warranty for a car I have never owned. My identity was stolen so this freaked me out. I pulled a credit report, setup Credit Fraud alerts and then decided to check on Car Shields legitimacy. From at least 1 other post I can see this is a scam they use. Thankfully, no car purchases showed up on my reports either. Beware this one.
I too have received many similar letters on this very subject. What’s even dumber on their part is that always say my warrenty is running out on a vehicle that I haven’t woned in almost 2 years. Even if I did still have it, the dealership warrants the vehicle for 100K miles, so I still wouldn’t ever need them.
I just received an official looking letter from "CarShield" " wherein they state, and I specifically quote from their letter, that "there will be a Price Increase to our Extended Vehicle Service Plan (EVSP) Effective May 1, 2019. After that date we will not be able to guarantee the service contract quote designed specifically for your 2019 Toyota Highlander" Please call us at 1-800-311-9730 so we can hold your EVSP contract at the lowest program rates". They went on to say that "We want to make sure we do everything possible to earn your business so please know this program is limited, based on your current mileage and age of your vehicle. At this time No vehicle inspection is required and the no fee payment option is available. Please call before May 1, 2019 for these eligibility requirements to remain valid".The letter is signed by John Walters, Program Director. I was given a "Customer Code" to make it look official. Additionally, there was an official looking logo and return address which was 333 Mid Rivers Mall Drive, St. Peters, MO 63376. Notice the carefully worded letter. They are saying that "their" EVSP is going to increase in price in 30 days and that they cannot guarantee "the contract quote designed specifically" for your car. They are careful to not use language like "the policy you purchased at the dealership". They just make it look that way. Oh so clever.
My husband and I (77 and 75 respectively) did purchase a new Toyota in December. We did purchase an extended warranty however the warranty is backed by Toyota, not CarShield. When I received the letter my first thought was "this is a scam" however, just to be certain I called our dealership and was assured that this was indeed a scam. My husband and I both have a background in insurance investigations hence we are always on guard for this sort attack from predators who prey on the public in general and more specifically the elderly. Many folks do not have this kind of background and innocently get sucked into these scams. These con artists are getting more sophisticated as they go unchecked by the government. Why aren’t they being shut down???? Please, please, please, check these things out before becoming a victim.
Why are they not being shut down???? By the government I’m assuming you mean?
Professional courtesy.
Who is is largest fraud and thief that you know?
That’ll be your answer.
I received this letter
I received a warranty letter with no return address. It had their address at the bottom of letter in very small fine print. It said they are Fenix Protect with an address 15510 Wright Brothers Dr.; Addison, TX 75001 with the phone # to call 800-674-2904. I googled Fenix Protect. It did pop up and looked legit. I saw the address and phone # on letter did not match info on the website. Okay. It’s a scam. I’m throwing letter away now. Buh bye!
Okay..i received a letter from EWS, i dont own a vehicle, although they claim that i do..i am being victimized by a perverted neighbor who has hacked into my accpunts and gained access to my social security and military records, as well as my emails account and cellular devices…when i busted him, he has been on a vendetta of around the clock harassment disrupting my services and cyber stalking…is it possible that he and his friends used my identity to purchase a car? When i did a credit check, they ask when did i purchase my vehicle?..or should i just ignore the letter?
Bought a new car with an extended warranty. Within 2 months started getting these con letters telling me my warranty was about to end.
Like the other folks…no car listed or any other information about the car. I called them to tell them to take me off their mailing list. Like talking to a tree stump. Stay away from them…Still getting the mail from them. Just adding to my trash can.
Got a scam letter from EWS – Vehicle Services Division 400 Skokie Blvd, Suite 105 Northbrook, IL Getting sick of this crap. They need to enact long prison terms for these losers.
Got a letter from SAP Warranty, the letter contained information about some warranty I never knew of. Anyway, the thing that gave it away was the fact that It didn’t list my car’s Make and Year. It just said “Vehicle” the number I was given to dial was ?1 (877) 811-7774?. Please don’t fall for these scams.
I received 3 of these letters and, setting this article, called the dealership where I purchased my vehicle and they confirmed that this is a scam where the information is gotten from the DMV. They all came from SAP – Activation Department 55E. Monroe St, STE 3800, Chicago, IL 60603
They have sent me 5 letters in the last two weeks. I just received one today and I’m thinking about sending one to them with a little gift inside.
They have sent me 5 letters in the last two weeks. I just received one today and I’m thinking about sending one to them with a little gift inside.
I have been receiving mail from these people for months. No return address and no company name or address listed anywhere other than EWS. I obtained mailing zip office of post office stamp. 92799. I googled 92799 and EWS because I wanted to respond to them by mail and tell them to stop sending me mail. I am so glad I googled first ! Scam! was associated with every google site listed! Is there a way to stop these people. After all, they are contributing to killing trees!
I have received a letter mailed to me from this address…..CarShield 333 Mid Rivers Mall Drive St Peters MO63376 Contact Phone 1800-424-1062 asking me to have my vehicle service contract activated. These people are clueless that I do realize it’s a scam since our vehicle was sold 4 years ago and we haven’t repurchase to date… they have even print a customer ID # under my name to make it look authentic…. I wish I could have uploaded a pic of this letter to bring awareness to innocent people out there
Got this letter like 4 times already. SAP – Activation Department… everything is vague, no make and model, neither where the car was bought… f-em! F-em all!!!
you guys can call it what you want but it’s not necessarily a scam it’s a company who sells extended warranty policies I purchased one through my bank when I bought it used car with hi mileage and my credit union urge me to do so. Now needless to say it paid for itself within the first 6 months because that lemon of the Murano I bought had the transmission go out and a Nissan Transmissions quite expensive so I got a new transmission plus while they were at it they did some repairs on the sway bar and bearings they noticed that were bad so they replaced it on took the whole $3,000 and fix my car and I only made one payment on the policy sure I was stuck paying it off it cost me $1,000 but over time but I even got that lowered when I offered to buy another policy if they knocked $500 off and they did. So what it is it’s a company that’s willing to sell you extended warranties or put you in touch with the company that sells them and it doesn’t indicate their name because they are putting you in touch with the company that you will sign with. but in my opinion and for my sake it was the best decision I ever made.
I received a bogus letter from Endurance Warranty Services at 15455 Dallas Parkway. Suite 600, Addison, TX 75001 today like Ingrid did but different 877 number.
I have received several of these letters. I had been destroying them, but this last beautiful pink letter I received I decided to do a little detective work. A red flag to me was that it didn’t list my vehicle plus I purchased the extended warranty directly from the dealership so I called them and they told me that it’s a scam. Then I googled SAP Activation Department and this article appeared. The phone number on my letter is 1-877-811-7774. I will be reporting this to the BBB.
Thank you Roger for your detailed comment. I also received a very official-looking pink letter with details about my 2018 Nissan Frontier and was freaking out, thinking that I did not have a warranty activated. I called them and it all sounded very official–very smart-sounding person on the phone, no foreign accent or anything suspicious. Then I got a weird feeling when he asked for my card number and did a quick Google search and hung up. THANK YOU for posting information about this. The letter I received was from SAP – Activation Department, 55 E. Monroe St. STE 3800, Chicago IL 60603. It gave a deadline and said it was a 100k mile warranty. I can’t believe this sort of thing can be legal.
I received a very professionally written letter explaining that the warranty on my Mercedes was about to expire and that I should call 1-844-383-1222 to renew. I have never owned a Mercedes and closer examination of the letter showed it to be a clever fishing expedition to scam me into buying an extended vehicle warranty. Be warned this is a clever scam, don’t be fooled. The company claims to be Endurance Warranty Services.
Endurance Warranty Services sent me a notice for a car I don’t own. In fact I don’t even own a car! I called them and asked, "Why are you trying to scam people?" and the operator kept replying, "I’m sorry?" like a robot. I filed a complaint with Better Business Bureau.
A month ago, I purchased a 2018 Toyota with an extended Toyota factory warranty, and I’ve received two very official looking car warranty scam mailings this week from two separate sources. (1) Car Shield, 333 Mid Rivers Mall Dr, St Peters MO 63376, 800-427-7507. This scam letter contained my name, address, year/make/model of my purchased car and a uniquely assigned customer service ID number. The letter indicated that I had not activated my new car vehicle warranty which was pure deception into indicating that the Toyota factory warranty that I had purchased had not yet been activated and that I must call them to activate. An immediate response to their message was needed. There was no indicator as to where I purchased the car or a VIN number which are always key indicators as to a scamming organization. Needless to say, I recognized this as a scam and did not respond. Even an inquiry response to this rotten scammer would indicate your interest in their lies. (2) The second company had no indicator as to their name – – only an address and phone number: SAP – Activation Department, 55 E. Monroe Street, Ste 3800, Chicago IL 60603, 877-811-7774. This scamming letter also included my name, address, year/make/model of my newly purchased vehicle and a uniquely assigned customer ID number. It, too, came in an envelope labeled Do Not Destroy and an expiration date of the great scam offer. This letter required an immediate response to avoid a lapse in warranty coverage. Add these scam letters to your avoidance.
I received a letter today ( 4/17/18 ) for an immediate response, stating I had received multiply notices ( I had not 0 and this was the last notice ) that my warranty would expire ( my car is a 1994 model ). I knew it was a scam just wanted to make a comment about it. Said to call 1-877-334-4872 today. Said it was from Endurance Warranty Services at 15455 Dallas Parkway. Suite 600, Addison, TX 75001. Also had an address in Illinois and Atlanta, GA.
I just received a letter from them last week. At first it seemed legit, but the only problem is that I didn’t actually buy my car, I’m -leasing it. So the dealership is the one who needs to take care of this extended warranty. If they are legit, shouldn’t they already know this???? Then I see that there is no return address at all. Hmmmm No name of an actual contact person. Then I just happen to turn over the letter and look at the back. They actually included examples of possible repair bills that I could possibly get if I don’t get this extended warranty! LOL! The contact number on my letter is 1-855-382-8206. Please call that number if you’d like to have some fun. I’d love, loooove to know how they know that I recently went to a dealership to get a vehicle. I really, really would!
Got one of these today. Out-of-state company, no actual information regarding my vehicle or where I bought it, a vague expression of urgency- it’s clear they have no idea what I drive and are just trying to get me to contact them out of worry that "I will be responsible for paying any repairs". (Hey, thanks for telling me that AFTER $2000 worth of repairs on the used car I bought two years ago.)
4/6/2018 I received the same type of letter. It contained no return address,or the make and model of my vehicle. I decided to look it up on the Internet and found out it was a SCAM. I figured as much. Will throw the letter away.
I’m not sure if the two are related but I’ve been getting monthly phone calls over the last 2 yrs) from the Auto Club, asking about a certain car (specific make & model) they think belongs to me. I don’t have a car, I don’t even have a driver’s licence. I have told them over and over and over again that the car they are referring to is familiar to me (owned by my in-laws) but that they have called the wrong number. These calls always seem to come right at nap time. Screaming baby & toddler!! Now I’ve got a letter from the Dept of Automobile Records (no return address) with 1-877-413-6377.
I got a letter in the mail on Feb 5, 2018 from the Department of Automobile Records about extending a warranty on a vehicle I never purchased. It was a 2016 Kia Forte that I was interested in at a dealership over a month ago. I called the number on the letter 855-381-2432 and spoke to a man who calls himself "Web". I asked him why are they sending me a letter to extend a warranty on a vehicle that I never purchased, all he could say was sorry it was an error and rushed me off the phone.
Received a similar letter from "Department of Automobile Records, Vehicle Cocument/Alert Notice, Personal & Confidential" with no return address saying my factory warranty will expire or may have already expired …..". Doesn’t have where I bought the car from, any info about the company offering this extended warranty. I’ll bet it is a SCAM.
I received a letter like the one described by US mail. It listed damage and repairs and their cost made to my car that were false. It looked like a scam to me but I wanted to get to the bottom of it and find out who sent it. I know better than to call the phone number the letter gives. Buy I am really curious to know how they got my name and address and who the scammers are . I wish there were a government agency that would look into this and actually shut the scammers down. The letter came in the US mail. Surely there is a law prohibiting the US mail being used for scams. But I don’t know where to report it where it will get the attention it deserves.
Just called them today to have some fun. Ended up wasting the ladys time and she ended up saying Im illegal in this country anyway (I’m Mexican) bust never mind the fact that i was born here. Im gonna call again from a different phone to bug them.
Received a very vague letter today that said:
"Our records indicate that you have not contacted us to have your vehicle service contract activated. We are informing you that if your factory warranty has expired, you will be responsible for paying any repairs. However, if expired, you can still activate a service contract on your vehicle before it is too late."
Did a quick search on the internet. Found sites like this. Decided to call the number for funsies.
The guy that answered asked for the customer number, I read it off. They had my name, naturally. He asked about my car. Uh, nope. I’m not giving you any information. He said he needed the information so he could give it to my account manager so we could discuss pricing.
Pricing? This says that I just need to call to have my service contract activated. There should be no payment involved. Are you saying that I don’t have a service contract that only needs to be activated?
He kept insisting on getting information. Wouldn’t answer the question.
Me: This sounds like a scam.
He hung up.
lolz
I got one too; saying that I have received multiple notices and have not contacted them to update my auto file. Nasty letter. "My factory warranty will expire or may have already expired…" Letter said to call to verify above and below information. No address, just phone. From Department of Automobile Records – Personal and confidential. These people should be prosecuted.
Got a letter from carshield today, saying my warranty has expired. I have to be responsible for paying any repair. The letter has my name on but has nothing about my car. Surely it is a scam. Dont fall for it!!
Not researching my options, I bought into their hype. Less than 24 hours later, not receiving the email promised concerning the policy or my down pymt and the reviews calling this company a ripoff, I decided to call and cancel the policy. The rep was rude, disrespectful and aggravated that I no longer wanted to use this company. Will report this interaction with the BBB and tell everyone I know to do what I failed to do, is research these warranty companies before you do business with them.
I received this mail today !
I received this mail today !
I received one of these letters today – Aug. 5th. It’s being filed in the trash.
Got letter in the mail this date. No reference to any car. Called the representative could not tell me what my car was. Told me that I had more than one car. I don’t. Told me my lien holder had provided them with my information but failed to tell them what my car was. I called my lien holder and asked them. They were very aware of CarSheild. CarSheild is a Nationwide Company. If you have ever gotten a quote from Nationwide they forward your information to their subsidiary companies. CarSheild also said they represented my auto dealership they don’t. I am no where near to my auto warranty expiring. When I do need such a product I will research the products and talk to my dealership. This is the second extended warranty company to try and solicit my business. Check things out folks. Only you protect you!!!
Just got one of these letters today.
I received a letter from CarShield on 6/30/17. Decided to go online and check it out as just purchased my car in October 2016. Knew my factory warranty was longer than 9 month. I see that I was correct in thinking this was a Scam.
Carshield scam letter received in us mail 6/30/17
Carshield letter?
After purchasing a used 2014 Nissan Versa Note this past September, I’ve been inundated with at least a dozen of these letters from so called Extended Warranty Companies with hyped up headlines saying " "Final attempt" your warranty is about to expire.
I called one of these companies in Los Angeles and spoke to a very sweet sounding lady on the phone (I was only curious to see what ridiculous amounts they wanted, and I was correct)
They sent me one of these "letters" on my Nissan Leaf "Electric car"
The lady described all the things covered by the warranty, like the transmission, fuel pump, starter, and so on. I told her my car didn’t have any of those things. She kindly said you are mistaken sir, all cars have a transmission, I said mine does not…. its electric. I asked about the other points on their warranty coverage, which mine didn’t seem to fit any catagories. Eventually I guess she thought I was some sort of idiot and said they couldn’t help me and asked if I had any other cars ? I said sure, I have a 2000 Saturn with 192k miles on it. She said , we can get you an extended warranty for that car for $2,800. I asked what the mileage limit was and she said 200k. My car was worth maybe $500 and the coverage was only good for another 8k miles. I told her no. I brought up the Saturn just to see what they would come up with. This happened last year and I’m still getting phone calls asking if I want to get an extended warranty on my 2000 Saturn Leaf.
I just tell them no, next time I’ll just tell them my name is Fred Flinstone and have a foot powered car I drive with my friend Barney Rubble.
I received a similar letter today from Carshield in St. Peters, Mo implying I was a "customer of theirs" and I needed to call A. S. A. P. to activate my warranty or I’d be on the "hook" for repairs. They "had" me for a bit until I searched the web. To think; the nerve and deceitfulness this operation has to scam innocent people into thinking their "warranty has expired"; and falsely stating they have had a "previous relationship" with you is down right criminal.
I started receiving these solicitations six weeks after purchasing a car in August. So far I’ve received seven letters in the past two weeks. Many of them appear exactly as other commentators have described. They all appear somewhat similar, but contain different call back numbers and identification codes. All but one of the letters originated from Salem, UT (the only exception came from Springfield, MO).
I called one of the numbers and asked for a website and was directed to omegaautocare.com.
I worry that older naive car buyers will fall for this…
Warranties are based on the vehicle identification number. This means the warranty will be valid regardless of who owns it. This is in most cases…
Thank goodness for Google. I purchased a used vehicle 2 weeks ago and have been getting post cards daily and today finally the 3 sided tear off notice. I was just thinking maybe I should call but put all the cards together and not one duplicate phone number. How could there be that many warranties out on a 2 owner vehicle? Good practice to check when red flags go up…Thank you all.
Purchased a 2015 Hyundai July of 2015. Early Sept. got a card in the mail listing the year and model of the car I purchased, stating that my factory warranty either had or would expire soon. Card was titled, "Vehicle Alert Notice" and featured a fairly sickly looking eagle on it. Rather than call the number on the card, I emailed Hyundai Customer Service and after sending them a copy of the card was informed that this was most likely a scam. Should this be reported to some government agency and if so, whom?
Read the page again. They state how to and whom to officially report the scam with a Link to do so…..
I just got a letter where you tear all 3 sides.. and then I received 2 post cards as well-stating everything above. It had a expiration date as well for the final notice. I directly went online to research this and look what I found. If you unsure about something.. research it.
Just bought a used car about two weeks ago and these have already started coming in. I have gotten four of them so far, three of them in the same day! Always remember, if somebody wants your money, do your research! Way too many scams these days just waiting to take your hard earned money.
I’ve been getting these letters & postcards for years on my 1993 Mercury Villager. Got a 2014 Kia Soul & now I’m getting the same scam. I purchased a lifetime warranty through KIA for my car. Beware this scam.
Just recently received a guardian letter stating my "factory warranty expired". The lack of information on the letter led me to believe that it was a scam. Sure enough, I did my research and it was just another attempt at preying on uninformed car buyers who don’t know any better. Be sure to always do your research!
yup…………just got one of those letters. called them and they were so professional. They claim to have many great statistics and awards but when i asked for a website they referred me to another glass car company website. Be careful out there.
Yeah, Guardian tried and pressured me so much into buying extended warrantee. I told them to give me two days to talk to my wife and then they really got weird on me. So while I had them on the phone I had my brother check on them and he told me the same thing. ‘SCAM "
They would not give me time to discuss this with my wife sO I said then we’re done and they hung up on me.