Continental Collision Austin

Read this Blog and Avoid This Common Car Scam

Today’s technology has offered us literally countless opportunities for us to improve our lives and make us more efficient than we could have ever imagined even just 10 years ago. Technology can allow us to be mobile and connected, but some of this same technology can let scammers, hackers, and rip-off artists into our lives as well.  

At Continental Collision Austin, we always want to share these types of blogs with our readers in Austin, TX and all over the country, so that they can be aware of these potential scams and can avoid them now and in the future.

Scams are now a huge part of our lives and you really can't avoid them. You probably know someone whose identity has been stolen or whose credit cards were used by some sketchy rip-off artist. Maybe someone hacked into your computer and tried to steal your personal information. Scammers and hackers are getting more brazen every day, which means that we have to be warier than ever before.

While it can be very difficult to know if and when you are being scammed, educating yourself on possible scams and other rip-offs currently happening throughout the country (and the world) can help you to be prepared.

In this blog, we are targeting a group of highly dishonest people who are known as "ghost brokers". Within the last several years,  they have become more commonplace than you'd ever imagine. When one ghost broker stops ripping people off, it seems like more and more of them just simply enter the fray. It has become a major dilemma in states such as Arizona, California, Michigan, Texas and Georgia just to name a few.

Going after youthful uneducated drivers, ghost brokers present extraordinary insurance bargains through websites, blogs, online forums, listing sites, online ads, etc. The offers are always eye-catching, but in the end they're just ripping off the rookie driver and leaving them without any legitimate protection and a possible criminal record. That's right, we have seen news stories where a poor young driver bought car insurance from a ghostwriter and then got into an accident, leaving them to hold the bag.

Ghost brokers work in different ways and are highly sophisticated, which means that  newbie drivers can have trouble when searching for the best (and authentic) insurance deals. Scammers are very skilled at providing bogus  insurance documentation, or provide new drivers with real coverage but then submit false data to the company providing the insurance, such as the driver's age.  Once they do that, the insurance policy is 100% void, but they still collect your money.  

Additionally, the insurance broker may actually purchase real car insurance with the correct data submitted, but the subsequently cancel the plan two or three months later, all while continuing to collect cash from the now completely uninsured.

Two main pieces of simple advice about ghost brokers: 1.) If it looks too good to be true it is and 2.) Do your due diligence and check out any insurance broker before you sign anything.

Sources: Wikipedia, AAA and Consumer Reports