The scam that keeps on giving

Recently I like many others have received a painful slurry of telephone calls, postcards, and Spam email asking me if I would like to renew my auto warranty. The pain solicitors tend to offer is usually bearable, however this specific solicitation is beginning to feel more and more like a scam attempt to harvest my personal information. This all started several months back, at first only a single postcard, which I discarded without a second thought. Now I am receiving multiple calls and postcards per week, which to me really points out a problem. This company or group of individuals is very persistent, even to the point of switching their call back phone numbers faster than you can call them back to complain.

How does it apply to information security?

Scams like this can waste your time, put your information at risk, and challenge your patience not to mention your pocket book. If not handled appropriately these scams can really become a headache to get out of. The best way to avoid being a victim is to avoid jumping into anything, always remember if it's to good too be true, it probably is.

Why is it important to know this?

Recently a message was left on my grandparent's answering machine, the message told them their auto coverage was about to expire and to call back to have it renewed. My grandfather immediately called his auto insurance agent thinking they were talking about his auto insurance rather than a warranty. His agent reassured him everything was just fine, however how many of us might have just called the number back and accidentally entered into an agreement with this company?

So what should you do?

I haven't found any quick answers or easy fixes, however the Federal Trade Commission provides several recommendations on how to stay safe and protect yourself and others. It includes links to the National Do Not Call Registry, the ability to File a Complaint, and several great explanations about auto warranties (Service Contracts).  In addition suit has been filed recently to try and stop this deception.

In the mean time, if you get a call, don't react; just tell them you will contact them back if you're interested. Thanks for reading and please forward this information along to your friends and family to keep them aware as well.