Vehicle Warranty Scam Flooding Montana Mailboxes

Vehicle owners across Montana are reporting a seasonal scam that is finding its way into local mailboxes.

"What we find, especially this spring, this month, is all kinds of mailings," said Montana Office of Consumer Protection Director Matthew Dale . They don't all look alike or say the same thing, but they are all variations on a theme; that the recipient owes money either for car repair or a car warranty that, in fact, is bogus."

Dale says this year’s mailers look more official than normal, and may even use the header Montana Motor Vehicle Division, however, he says the state doesn’t do direct calls or calls to urgent action like these fliers require. Investigator Ryan Sullivan says Montanans seem to get caught by this scam every year and sometimes the money is impossible to recover.

"If they pay with a credit card or something along those lines, then those are pretty recoverable, but if they wire funds or send cash, those are pretty hard to resolve. We've noticed [the scammers] try to make the amounts manageable for most people to pay, so we see amounts ranging from 20 dollars to maybe a couple hundred."

Dale says residents in Missoula have reported receiving the mailers and some have been finding two to three in their mailbox each week.

To file a complaint or ask for help from the Consumer Protection Office, go to doj.mt.gov/consumer.