Mystery car deals: Too good to be true?

In this tight economic market, businesses are doing just about anything to drum up sales including slashing prices, providing incentives, coupons, and free shipping. Some companies are getting even more creative and maybe a bit mysterious.

A colleague’s wife recently received a letter in the mail with no return address and inside was a fake newspaper ad for a three-day sale at a Nissan dealership. Attached to the ad was a yellow Post-It note that said "Check this out!" signed "J." The sale was pretty intriguing in that they were advertising $29 down and monthly payments as low as $129 a month for a used car from a variety of manufacturers. It was dubbed the "National Automotive ‘Insider’ Sales Event." On the back of the full-page ad was a list of mutual funds, resembling the financial pages from a major newspaper. We never found out where the ad came from and if it had any merit, but the tactic raised a red flag.

Selling it any way possible
This type of marketing is not new. In the mid-90’s, Consumer Reports magazine published an item in its Selling It section, which poked fun at deceitful and obtuse advertising, titled "Mystery mail." The piece discussed an example of a bogus article promoting an anti-aging formula. After looking into the ad with the Better Business Bureau, we found the parent company had a history of failing to deliver products and refunds. Plus, the dietary supplement they were selling was available over-the-counter for one-tenth of the price.

These deceptive advertising techniques seem to especially pop-up in a down market when people are looking for deals and businesses are desperate to move inventory. The auto industry is particularly prone to creative, even misleading tactics, with dealers desperate for business from a reluctant, cash-strapped consumer base.

It’s important to be especially wary of scams and false claims, especially with the upcoming CARS "cash for clunkers" program that will introduce new complexities into the buying process for eligible customers. If you have questions about an advertising claim, it’s best to check with the Better Business Bureau before you shell out any cash. And certainly hesitate to pursue anonymous solicitations. Remember a long-held piece of Consumer Reports advice: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Have you received any mysterious advertising in the mail or saw an offer that was too good to be true? Share your stories in the comments below.

--Liza Barth