Fake vehicle extended warranty expiry spam — email claims car/truck warranty expired or is expiring, offers extended warranty / protection plan via link or toll-free number that harvests payment card details; FTC top consumer complaint 2022-2024; FCC fined $300M+ to warranty robocallers

Spam emails falsely claiming the recipient's vehicle warranty has expired or is about to expire — offering to extend or renew coverage via a link or toll-free number that harvests payment card details or routes to a live scammer who sells a worthless "extended warranty" or protection plan. Key facts: (1) FTC: vehicle warranty solicitations rank as the top consumer complaint category 2022–2024, generating millions of complaints annually; the FCC issued $300M+ in fines to major warranty robocall operations; (2) These emails exploit a genuine consumer concern — factory warranties do expire, and dealer-issued extended warranty reminders are common — making recipients more likely to engage than with random prize notifications; (3) Legitimate vehicle warranty communications come from the dealer or manufacturer with the vehicle's VIN, make, model, and current mileage on file — unsolicited warranty emails almost never have accurate vehicle details, using generic language like "your vehicle" instead; (4) The most common payment extraction methods are credit card harvest via a link, or a high-pressure sales call where agents use vehicle history data (sometimes purchased from data brokers) to sound credible before requesting payment. Warning signs: no VIN or accurate vehicle details, generic "your vehicle" language, urgent expiry deadline, link or toll-free number for renewal, sender not from the vehicle's manufacturer or dealer.