Why you shouldn't ask to pull credit before the customer comes in…

‘You’ve just won a new car’ – well maybe not

A Beckley West Virginia dealership started to hear from local residents calling to claim their prize. The only problem- there is no prize. (12/11/2007)

Last Friday, Hometown Subaru-Kia started to receive telephone calls from local residents calling to make arrangements to pick up the brand new Kia they were promised through a phone call from someone named “Bethany Lucas”, according to a report in The Register-Herald. One man actually showed up at the dealership ready to claim his “prize” and drive it home.

In what appears to be an identity theft scheme, these calls are placed telling the unsuspecting targets of their prize. Along with congratulations for their good fortune, the caller tells them that they are to bring two forms of identification and proof of insurance to their local Kia dealership in order to claim their prize.

The article does not describe in detail how more personal information is extracted during the call, but it is not hard to imagine that the caller offers to get the paperwork started for them in advance of their visit to the dealership.

The dealership and local officials are warning the public not to fall for the scam and under no circumstances should they surrender any personal details over the phone.