Having Problems With a Car Dealer in Maryland?

Dishonesty, forgery and car dealer fraud in dealer pricing, finance contracts and credit applications happen more frequently than you might think, and can occur anywhere from Baltimore City to Salisbury, MD to Waldorf, MD.  Dishonest car dealers can place buyers in an undesirable contract that can be difficult to escape from without legal help, such as if a dealership stole gap insurance or warranty money.

The consumer who detects fraud or forgery may have a strong case against the dealership that committed the offense. If you have problems with a car dealer in Maryland and suspect you were a victim of auto dealership fraud, you should consult with an experienced car fraud attorney or car dealership lawyer today.

At Whitney, LLP, our car fraud attorneys have experience representing consumers who have had problems with a car dealer in Maryland in claims and cases involving fraudulent and forged sales, bad car lease contracts, and credit finance applications. We can often undo bad car purchases and recover compensation for car buyers deceived by unfair practices, no matter if they live in Prince George’s County, Baltimore County, MD, or somewhere in between.

We have extensive experience handling a wide variety of consumer and auto dealership fraud cases, and we are prepared to use that experience to handle your claim. We have filed many car dealership lawsuits over these unlawful and dishonest practices.

Our experienced car dealer attorneys and car fraud lawyers can help deal with fraudulent car dealerships in many locations throughout Maryland, including but not limited to:

• Anne Arundel County
• Baltimore City
• Baltimore County
• Charles County
• Howard County
• Montgomery County
• Prince George’s County
• Waldorf

 Click Here to Read about our Top 10 Most Common Types of Cases against Car Dealers.

Click Here to read about past car dealer fraud settlements.
Click Here to read blogs about our other car dealer cases, including settlements and other lawsuits we filed.

We offer Legal Consultations. Call Whitney, LLP at 410 583 8000, or use our Quick Contact Form, to discuss your potential case.  Here is our YouTube Channel  for more videos on car dealer legal issues.

Addressing a Bad Car Purchase And Other Fraudulent Deals

Both new and used car dealers can lie to consumers to increase the amount of money they earn on a particular contract, whether they’re in Howard County or Anne Arundel County, MD. The commission-based compensation scheme of many dealership frauds is the motivation behind employees’ attempts to manipulate their customers with auto dealer fraud. There are many common auto fraud schemes that dealerships can do on a sale or bad car lease contract, such as forging signatures or altering a contract after the consumer has already purchased a vehicle.

There are several sneaky ways you can encounter problems with a car dealer in Maryland that can be solved with the help of an auto dealer fraud attorney from Whitney, LLP. When a consumer is buying a car from a dealership, they will typically negotiate the price of the car with the salesman and then negotiate the interest rate and available add-ons, or after-market products, with the finance manager. For example, after a buyer has agreed to purchase a vehicle, they will be offered additional products like vehicle service contracts, wheel and tire packages, dent and ding protection, and GAP insurance. However, the finance manager may use this information for dealer fraud. The sale of add-ons can earn finance managers thousands of dollars, so the incentive to sell these to customers, whether by hook or crook, is high.

Once the vehicle price is agreed upon and you have chosen any additional products you want, the finance manager should give you a copy of the contract and all other documents you signed. Then, they send the contract documents to the bank to finalize the agreement and secure financing. However, before sending the contract to the bank, the finance manager may forge your signature on a new contract to commit fraud. They may do so by altering the terms and adding after-market products to the contract. To learn more about forgery at a car dealership, read our blog on our $50,000 settlement in a forgery claim.

How a Car Contract Attorney Can Help if Your Car Dealer Lied

A car dealership lawyer can also help you detect a fraudulent vehicle contract so you can issue a dealership lawsuit. There are several ways that a consumer can discover whether a car seller forged their signature on a contract. The first red flag that your vehicle contract may have been altered or forged is if your monthly payments or interest rate are different than what you originally agreed upon. Even if your monthly payment is just a dollar higher, it is a red flag for fraud and forgery that a car contract attorney can help sort out.

What if your monthly payment is higher than you agreed to? In that case, the interest rate may have been changed, or if there is another difference in your contract that you do not recognize, you should contact the finance/lease company to get a copy of the documents the dealership sent to them. Compare those documents against the copy you received at the time of sale, and a quick review will show any different signatures and terms. If you find a difference, it is time to contact an experienced auto dealer fraud attorney to discuss your options, including but not limited to filing an MVA complaint and suing the car dealership.

Car fraud lawyers can also pursue a dealership lawsuit to handle car dealership credit application fraud. A common tactic of dishonest finance managers is to secretly inflate a consumer’s income and decrease their monthly residential rent or mortgage payments on the credit application. By submitting a fraudulent credit application, a dealership can sell a vehicle to a consumer who cannot afford the car. As we all know, it is easy to get carried away at a car dealership with that beautiful new car right in front of you. But, when the payment is due, the payment is now the consumer’s responsibility.

When an income is inflated on a credit application, the victim of the credit application fraud has legal rights and may be able to return the vehicle and recover compensation for economic loss and emotional distress caused with the aid of an auto fraud lawyer.

How to Contact Our Attorneys and Learn More

Our auto fraud lawyers can help you with a car dealership lawsuit. If a dishonest car dealership deceived you with forgeries, fraud, or false information on a credit application, you should speak with an auto dealer lawyer today. At Whitney, LLP, our consumer protection and auto lawyers can help you examine your car contract for fraud and may be able to help you sue the car dealership that deceived you and recover compensation for your damages. Call Whitney, LLP at (410) 583-8000, or contact us online using our Quick Contact form to schedule a legal consultation with a car dealer attorney.

If you have had problems with a car dealer in Maryland and need the assistance of a car dealership or an auto fraud lawyer, Whitney, LLP is happy to help residents of Charles County, Montgomery County, and across Maryland. To learn more about dealer fraud and the benefits of consulting an auto lawyer, read our car dealership blogs or auto fraud blogs or watch our YouTube channel videos for more information.