Auto Dealer Fraud in Texas
In December 2024, I traded in my vehicle. However, on January 2, 2025, I received a phone call from Progressive asking if I wanted to initiate repairs on the car I had just traded in. The issue is, I’ve never had a policy with Progressive. When I informed them that I no longer owned the vehicle, they mentioned that my information came up when they checked the tags. Did the dealership sell my old car with my tags still attached? How could the temporary tag from the dealership still be linked to my information?
It sounds like you may be dealing with a situation involving potential errors in the dealership’s paperwork or processes. When you trade in a vehicle, the dealership is usually responsible for removing your personal information, including your tags, from the vehicle before reselling it.
Here are a few possibilities for what could have happened:
Temporary Tag Issues: The dealership might have issued a temporary tag that retained your information until it was officially registered to the new owner. If they failed to update the registration properly, it could explain why Progressive contacted you about repairs.
Title Transfer: There might have been a delay or error in the title transfer process, meaning your name was still associated with the vehicle in the system.
Dealership Error: The dealership may have made a mistake and sold the vehicle without properly removing your tags or our personal information attached to it.
Your best course of action is to contact the dealership to clarify the situation. Make sure they know that your personal information is still connected to the vehicle and ask them how they plan to rectify it. It’s also a good idea to reach out to your state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to report the issue and ensure your records are correct.