Vehicle 'Recall — Confirm Your Info' Phish
A fake recall notice urges you to 'confirm your information' or pay a fee to schedule urgent repairs, phishing your data or money for a recall that's free.
Think a message like this reached you? You can check it right now.
What this scam is
You get a text, email, or letter claiming your vehicle has an urgent safety recall and you must confirm personal details, pay a scheduling fee, or click a link to book the 'free' repair. Genuine recall repairs are free at authorized dealers, and manufacturers don't charge fees or need you to 'verify' via a link. The scam harvests personal/payment data or routes you to a fake service, exploiting safety fears. Verify recalls via the official NHTSA lookup by your VIN.
What it usually looks like
- An 'urgent recall' notice with a confirm/pay link.
- Requests to verify personal details or pay a fee.
- Safety-fear urgency.
- A sender that isn't your real dealer/manufacturer.
Common warning signs
- Fees to schedule a 'free' recall repair.
- Links to non-official sites to 'confirm info.'
- Requests for personal/payment data.
- Pressure about safety.
Example wording scammers use
“URGENT RECALL on your vehicle — confirm your details and schedule your free repair here: auto-recall-confirm.net”
“A scheduling fee is required to book your recall service.”
These are illustrative examples written by ScamSplain, not real messages.
What the scammers want
- Your personal/payment data.
- A scheduling 'fee.'
- To exploit safety fears.
What to do
- Check recalls yourself at the official NHTSA site using your VIN.
- Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers — never pay a 'scheduling fee.'
- Don't 'confirm' personal info via a link.
- Contact your dealer through official channels.
What to do if you already responded
- Call your card issuer if you paid; watch for identity misuse.
- Verify your recall status officially.
- Report at reportfraud.ftc.gov.