Robocalls continue to be irritating and their increased frequency is distracting and exhausting, at least in my experience. We can usually spot them when our caller ID says “potential spam” or if we don’t recognize the number, but robocallers are getting more sophisticated, just like other scammers.

A frequent and increased scam is one alleging that your car warranty is expiring and that you need to renew it. The messages sound legitimate, but they are not. It has become such a problem that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a warning this week advising that you hang up when you receive an auto warranty call.

According to the FTC, “This is an illegal robocall and likely a scam. The companies behind this type of robocall are not with your car dealer or manufacturer, and the ‘extended warranty’ they’re trying to sell you is actually a service contract that often sells for hundreds or thousands of dollars.”

I was raised not to hang up on anyone, but following the FTC’s advice to hang up on auto warranty robocalls seems like a good exception.

If you have seniors in your life who could become a victim of this type of scam, let them know so they, too, can follow the FTC’s advice.

Photo of Linn Foster Freedman Linn Foster Freedman

Linn Freedman practices in data privacy and security law, cybersecurity, and complex litigation. She is a member of the Business Litigation Group and the Financial Services Cyber-Compliance Team, and chairs the firm’s Data Privacy and Security and Artificial Intelligence Teams. Linn focuses her…

Linn Freedman practices in data privacy and security law, cybersecurity, and complex litigation. She is a member of the Business Litigation Group and the Financial Services Cyber-Compliance Team, and chairs the firm’s Data Privacy and Security and Artificial Intelligence Teams. Linn focuses her practice on compliance with all state and federal privacy and security laws and regulations. She counsels a range of public and private clients from industries such as construction, education, health care, insurance, manufacturing, real estate, utilities and critical infrastructure, marine and charitable organizations, on state and federal data privacy and security investigations, as well as emergency data breach response and mitigation. Linn is an Adjunct Professor of the Practice of Cybersecurity at Brown University and an Adjunct Professor of Law at Roger Williams University School of Law.  Prior to joining the firm, Linn served as assistant attorney general and deputy chief of the Civil Division of the Attorney General’s Office for the State of Rhode Island. She earned her J.D. from Loyola University School of Law and her B.A., with honors, in American Studies from Newcomb College of Tulane University. She is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Read her full rc.com bio here.