A sheriff's office says fake car warranty offers by phone, mail and email may include your vehicle's make, model or VIN, which makes them sound real.
A sheriff's office is warning that car warranty scammers may already know what you drive. The Randolph County Sheriff's Office says fake offers are reaching drivers by phone, mail and email, and some callers can recite a vehicle's make, model or VIN.
A VIN is the unique number that identifies a single vehicle. The sheriff's office says scammers can get these details from public records or data brokers, which are companies that collect and sell personal information. Knowing the car helps a caller seem like the dealer, manufacturer or insurer they claim to be.
The pitches come as robocalls, prerecorded messages, live callers and official-looking mailers. They push urgency, hoping you hand over personal information or pay before you stop to think.
No law requires you to have an extended warranty, so an unsolicited offer can usually be ignored safely. Real warranties are typically bought straight from a dealership or a verified provider. Older drivers are a particular target, the office says, because scammers may count on them being trusting or less familiar with common scams.
Anyone who lets unknown callers go to voicemail and ignores these offers is in good shape. The sheriff's office did not say how many people in the county have been hit or how much money was lost.
The steps in the alert box above cover what to do, including talking a suspicious offer over with a family member.
If someone contacts you first about your car warranty, do not pay or share details, even if they know your vehicle.
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