Auto Scams

How the scam works: Scenario 1. If you work at a rental facility and have limousines on your lot, you might get a phone call or an email from a wedding planner requesting a limo for a wedding that takes place the following month. An agreed price is set after negotiations. The check finally arrives […]

Limousine Rental Read More

How the scam works: (with video below) Did you ever wonder how to get a replacement car title or even asked yourself "How can I get a copy of my car title"? Standing in line to renew your registration or license at the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles in the US) is not on most […]

Car Title Renewal Read More

How the scam works: Used luxury cars and fake sellers. One of the scariest scams around these days is the Luxury Models or Used Luxury Cars for Sale scam. There are two variations that are doing their rounds as you are reading this. They both advertise high-end luxury car models at fantastic prices making victims […]

Luxury Models Read More

Lease First Payment Scam: How It Works 20% of automobile shoppers make the decision to lease their car. There are many advantages to leasing over purchasing, such as being cheaper to trade in after two years than trading in a purchased car after making 60 payments. But as with all benefits there is a downside, […]

Leasing: Double First Payment Read More

Watch out for a new deceiving extended warranty call. Here is how the phone call sounds like, scammers offering extended car warranties.

Extended Warranty Call Read More

How the scam works: You are interested in buying a specific car and are in negotiations with the salesperson. After long discussions and a test drive, you mention you think the price is still too high. The agent lets you believe thay can drop the price even lower than you had expected, but requires one […]

Request for Check as Proof Read More

Rental Car Upgrade Coupon Scam: How It Works (with video below) You have a coupon or voucher with a rental car company and are just about to redeem it. The friendly agent on the other side of the counter asks, "Would you like to upgrade for only an extra five dollars a day? This […]

Rental Car Upgrade Read More

How the scam works: (with video below) You come across an ad promoting super-low rates for a rental car service you have barely heard of. It looks good, but you just want to make sure it really is $50 cheaper per day and call the number. They will confirm the price is right, but when […]

Rental Low Fees Read More

How the scam works: Scenario 1. Depending on the state you are living in, some tollbooths have been removed and now charges mount on the car itself through a great electronic toll-collection system called E-ZPass. Sneaky rental companies use this fact to impose surcharges on you over and above the actual toll amounts ($20 for […]

Toll Charges Scam Read More

How the scam works: (with video below) Some people rent cars when they are going on a long trip and don't want to overuse their own vehicle. That's when they might get excited when they see ads promoting “unlimited mileage” offers. What happens is some rental companies bury a clause in the fine print stating that the […]

Rental Unlimited Mileage Read More

How the scam works: (with video below) You find the car of your dreams online and put a bid in for it. Unfortunately, it is a great deal and somebody outbids you. You are bitter about missing it but the next day, you get an email from the seller (see video below) telling you the […]

Second Chance Online Bidding Read More

How the scam works: (with video below) This scam usually happens when you get back to your car and turn on the engine. Somebody waves at you, approaches, and says there is smoke coming out of your car. “It looks ugly. I don't think it is safe to drive. Let me take a look at […]

Smoke Out of Your Car Read More

How the scam works: (with video below) Imagine this: You are in a parking lot and you carefully back out. The path seems clear, but there is an unexpected bang that doesn't make sense. You stop and see that you just hit another car (most likely an older make), but you can't understand how this […]

Staged Accident Read More

How the scam works: You just got a traffic ticket, which you are not happy about and come across an ad stating: “Don’t let them get away with your money!”, and “97% dismissal rate”, etc. Their website has great testimonials and you decide to give it a shot by paying a small fee. The bad news […]

Ticket Fighting Read More

How the scam works: You have been in an accident and after you’ve dealt with the police, a tow-truck comes to pick up your damaged car. The driver of the truck is a nice guy and, after he mumbles things like “Too bad, this was a beauty”, or “I know what you are going through”, […]

Tow Trucker Referral Read More

How the scam works: Crooks drive around neighborhoods and look specifically for cars that are 20-30 years old and haven’t been used in a while (have some vegetation growth around them). After monitoring the activity in the area, scammers come the next day dressed in coveralls when they are sure the owners are not home and tow […]

Towing Old Cars Read More

How the scam works: (with video below) The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) tampering is a practice that has become more popular in the last few years as shady sellers try to hide negative information about certain cars.  It is common that several sellers go to parking lots, find the same car model and color, copy the […]

VIN Tampering Read More