Consumers Warned In Advance Of Clunkers Program Start

The ink wasn’t even dry on the “cash for clunkers” bill that President Obama signed into law when word came out that scams were already taking place. It seems that some enterprising people were creating informational websites about for the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) program, seeking to secure confidential information from shoppers including their social security numbers. Those scams have caught the attention of consumer activists who are warning people people to be careful.

Beware of Identity Theft

Car manufacturers are preparing customers in advance of the program’s start date which hasn’t been established yet as Congress fine tunes the requirements. But, opportunists are already at work trying to get people to “register” for the program a step that isn’t part of the program requirements. Consumers who inadvertently give their personal information out are at risk of losing their identity, money and maybe more.

The CARS program is a six step process involving the following:

1.Check the www.cars.gov site for updated information. This is the only site consumers need to go to in order to keep updated.

2.Next, consumers should see if their cars are eligible for the program. Models must be no older than 25 years old at time of trade in date and they must get 18 mpg or less with slightly different requirements for large pick up trucks and large vans. As long as your car has been continuously insured and registered over the past year and you plan to purchase or lease a new car, then you should be eligible as long as all of the other requirements have been satisfied.

3.When you go to the dealership, you’ll need to bring your title, registration and proof of insurance with you.

4.You do not need a voucher in order to get your rebate as dealers will apply a credit at purchase. The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) will confirm that your car qualifies after the sale which means if there is any mistakes that error will be on the dealer’s shoulders not yours. About ten days after the sale, the NHTSA will issue a financial credit to the dealers as long as all requirements on the dealer’s end have been met.

You can sign up for program updates through the Cars.gov website. Simply give them your email address and when you receive a confirming email from them, hit the confirm subscription button and you’ll be taken to a page on their site with their logo and a message saying, “Your subscription has been confirmed. Thanks!”