A new twist on an old scam

By Lindsey Henley
WSLS10 Reporter
Published: March 7, 2008

    It’s a new twist on an old scam.
  “[I got a call] with an urgent sounding message that the warranty on my vehicle is ready to expire. It said I need to call them or hold on or punch one right away,“ said Roanoke County Supervisor Butch Church.
    So he pushed one.
    “Low and behold, after a wait, a lady comes on the line and asked me the make, model, and year of my vehicle.  I told her you tell me,“ he said.  “She hung up on my real quickly.“
    According to Julie Wheeler from the Better Business Bureau, it’s a big business.
    “There are many companies around the country that are doing it,“ Wheeler said.
    The callers try to sell you extended warranties for your car, but the warranties are not what they seem.
    “Typically they’re not fulfilling, or it’s a very limited to where you can’t actually make claims on it,“ Wheeler said.
    Wheeler says in the past the companies have solicited people using scare-tactics through the mail.  Recently they’ve started making phone calls – even dialing personal cell phone numbers.
    “It’s frustrating that any company in the U.S. can get a bank of phone numbers including cell phone numbers, private numbers that are not listed,“ Church said.
    So what should you do if you get one of these calls?
    “Say please remove me from your calling list and hang up the phone,“ Wheeler said.