The dealership has plenty of ways that they try to squeeze extra dollars out of your pocket when you go to buy a used car. Many of the sales tricks, tactics and techniques that car salesmen use are completely legal, albeit skill on the unethical side of the business. These dealership sales tricks cause people end up driving off the lot with much higher payments for a way more expensive car than they came to look at – and they assume that everything was done according to the law. It’s typically not until the buyer starts having issues with the car, or even when they try to resell it that they find out they were a victim of auto sales fraud.
Auto Sales Fraud at the dealership comes in all shapes and sizes – from scams that cost consumers anywhere from a few hundred, to tens of thousands of dollars. Most times, auto fraud occurs during the time of the sale, and involves the dealer failing to disclose material information about the vehicle in order to benefit their pockets. For example, it is considered to be fraud if a dealer sells a car that they know was in an prior accident, but represent the car as being in perfect condition.
The same can be said about odometer rolls backs, the previous usage of the vehicle (rental, limo, lemon law buyback), or bait & switch where they advertise a car with certain features or sticker price but don’t actually sell what the consumer came in for without disclosing the differences. As you can see, auto sales fraud covers a wide range of different potential violations, and as a consumer you have legal rights to undo the deal in most cases.
Is There Anything You Can Do About Getting Scammed?
There is no shame in being the victim of auto sales fraud. The truth is that these dealers have become pros at scamming you and your neighbors out of money for years – it’s almost become a part of the business! What many people don’t know is that there are legal actions you can take to get back what is owed to you.
Our Los Angeles auto fraud attorneys help consumers sue dealerships for scams like the ones mentioned above. If you have any suspicion that you may have been scammed, or simply think that there was something awry with the sales process at the auto dealer, speaking with a car fraud attorney may be the best thing you can do.
Get the Car You Wanted in the First Place
When a client hires our firm to fight an auto sales fraud case, the goal is typically to undo the contract, and get back all of the money that was put into the vehicle. This allows our clients to go to another dealership and buy the car they wanted in the first place! Call today for a free legal consultation – we’ll tell you exactly how the process works and if you have a case today!