With auto scams on the rise, 7News asks a local expert for the tips you need to know
David Elswick worked 17 years as a master technician. Now he’s the only Maryland auto-investigator protecting customers.
He works for the Montgomery County Office of Consumer protection. Elswick told 7News fraud involving repairs and sales are on the rise, and that’s where he comes in.
“We get a good number of complaints for automotive sales, failure to honor a warranty, being scammed out of money,” Elswick said.
He adds that complaints are up, and people are getting ripped off. Whether it’s unnecessary repairs or not providing estimates. He warns that an old trick accounts for a lot of new cases.
“We do often get complaints that the odometer has been turned back or replaced with a lower mileage. Checking the vehicle history is a great thing to prevent scams such as odometer fraud,” Elswick said.
According to government estimates, every year almost half a million vehicles are sold with rolled back odometers, costing more than a billion. The 7News I-Team looked at rollbacks in 2021 during the used car shortage. That’s when an expert showed us just how easy it is to change an odometer.
7News has learned locally, rollbacks are on the rise!
According to recent Carfax data, Virginia has seen a 2% increase and is the eighth worst in the country. Maryland has seen a bigger increase, up 18% and the District has seen a 6% increase since 2021.
Rollbacks aren’t all. Elswick says crooks are catching buyers before they even see the car, selling vehicles that don’t exist in places like Facebook Marketplace.
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The social media giant says there are some safeguards they have in place, including purchase protection during checkout with MetaPay, where you can request a refund if you get ripped off, and verification status before a sale; making sure you know who you are buying the car from and if they are verified. Facebook asks for information like their name, address and if it’s a business, their tax ID, and contact details.
There is also a reporting tool for users where you can report suspicious behaviors or profiles if you think a post is bogus.
Experts add it’s always a bigger risk buying a car sight unseen.
Facebook also offers some additional tips to users that want to make an online purchase:
- Research before you buy, or review the sellers’ or businesses’ profile, along with product reviews and ratings, and use secure transaction and payment methods.
- Don’t provide gift card details to someone you don’t know, and avoid transactions that require you to only pay with a gift card.
- Avoid clicking suspicious links and be cautious of emails telling you that there was something wrong with your payment through checkout on Facebook. You can view your payment history on Facebook in your settings.
- Don’t respond to messages or emails that ask you to provide verification codes or account information, such as your email address and password.
- Avoid communicating with buyers or sellers privately outside of Facebook and Messenger. Having a record of your conversations will be helpful in case there is a problem with the purchase or payment later.
