Cracking Down on Robocall Scams: The Expired Auto Warranty Lawsuit

If you own a phone, you have probably received a call telling you that "the warranty on your vehicle is about to expire." These calls have become one of the most notorious robocall campaigns in the country — and the operators behind them are now facing serious legal consequences.

The Scale of the Problem

At their peak, expired auto warranty robocalls generated billions of calls per year. Consumers reported receiving multiple calls per day, on numbers registered on the National Do Not Call Registry, from spoofed local numbers designed to look legitimate.

The Government Response

Federal and state regulators have pursued the operators behind these campaigns:

The FCC issued record-breaking cease-and-desist orders and proposed penalties in the hundreds of millions of dollars
State attorneys general filed suit against gateway carriers and lead generators facilitating the calls
The Justice Department pursued injunctions to shut down offshore call centers routing calls into the U.S.
Carriers were ordered to block traffic from identified originators

Why These Calls Are Illegal

The expired auto warranty campaign runs afoul of several federal telemarketing laws:

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)

The TCPA prohibits:

Prerecorded or artificial-voice calls to residential lines without prior express consent
Autodialed calls to cell phones without prior express consent
Telemarketing calls to numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry
Failure to identify the caller and provide a valid callback number

The Truth in Caller ID Act

Spoofing caller ID with intent to defraud, cause harm, or wrongfully obtain something of value is a federal violation.

What Consumers Can Recover

The TCPA is one of the most powerful consumer-protection statutes on the books. It provides:

$500 per violation for negligent TCPA violations
$1,500 per violation for willful or knowing violations
Injunctive relief to stop further calls
Class-action treatment when large numbers of consumers are affected

How to Build a Case

To pursue TCPA claims from expired auto warranty calls, document:

Each call's date, time, and duration
The number that appeared on your caller ID (even if spoofed)
Any voicemail recordings the caller left
The company name mentioned during the call
The website or callback number the caller directed you to
The dates you registered your number on the Do Not Call Registry

Javitch Law Office's TCPA Practice

We have represented consumers in TCPA cases against telemarketers, lead generators, and the carriers that carry their traffic. If you have received expired auto warranty robocalls — especially on a Do Not Call–registered number — learn about our TCPA practice or contact us for a free consultation. We work on contingency; you pay nothing unless we recover.

FAQ

Are "expired auto warranty" robocalls illegal?

Almost always yes. These prerecorded calls are made without prior express written consent to millions of cell phones, violating the TCPA. The FCC has specifically targeted this operation, and multiple class actions have followed.

How do I identify who is behind the auto warranty robocalls?

The calls typically spoof numbers, but pressing 1 to speak with an agent, staying on the line, and asking for the company name, callback number, and mailing address can unmask the operation. Save any voicemails.

What can I recover?

$500 to $1,500 per illegal call under the TCPA, plus any state-law damages. Many victims received dozens or hundreds of these calls, producing significant statutory recoveries.