Scam Alert: Bogus Mail From CarSafe

I got some mail that looked "important." It was one of those papers where you have to remove the edges to open it. It said the following on the front:

Make: Ford

REQUEST FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION - TIME SENSITIVE MATERIAL ENCLOSED

WARNING: $2,000 FINE, 5 YEARS IMPRISONMENT, OR BOTH FOR ANY PERSON INTERFERING OR OBSTRUCTING WITH DELIVERY OF THIS LETTER. U.S. MAIL TTT.18 U.S. CODE

TO BE OPENED BY ADDRESSEE ONLY
PLEASE RESPOND WITHIN FIVE DAYS

The first thing that's wrong with this is although it had my mailing address, there was no return address. Anything without a return address should be discarded, regardless how important it looks.

The second thing wrong with it is the period of time they give you to respond. Anyone who wants a response within five days for something you receive in the mail is being unreasonable and doesn't deserve a response as far as I'm concerned. Any reputable company would give you at least two weeks, but most likely a month.

Since I knew I had something good to write about in my blog, I went ahead and took the bate and opened my mail. Inside it has the following:

CarSafe
PHONE: 866-364-3336

Make: Ford

IMPORTANT

CALL 866-364-3336 TO EXTEND YOUR VEHICLE'S COVERAGE

** EXTREMELY URGENT AND TIME SENSITIVE **

SERVICE CONTRACT EXPIRATION - THIS IS NOT A BILL

EXPIRATION: 11-DEC-2009
COVERAGE: AVAILABLE

STATUS: PENDING

NEW COVERAGE:
PLATINUM COVERAGE
POWERTRAIN COVERAGE

MINIMUM FINANCE RATE AVAILABLE: 0%

Business Hours
MON-FRI
8:00 AM TO 7:30 PM

SAT
9:00 AM TO 2:00 PM

SERVICE CONTRACT EXPLANATION
REQUESTING:

1. EXTENSIONS AVAILABLE TO 2015
2. UP TO OR ADDITIONAL 150,000 MILES
3. NEW CAR COVERAGE / POWERTRAIN

COMMENTS:
THIS LETTER IS TO INFORM YOU THAT YOUR FACTORY SERVICE CONTRACT HAS EXPIRED OR IS ABOUT TO EXPIRE AND YOU MAY EXTEND YOUR SERVICE CONTRACT COVERAGE ON THE VEHICLE. YOUR EXTENDED SERVICE CONTRACT COVERAGE OFFER EXPIRES ON 11-DEC-2009

PLATINUM:
ENGINE, TRANSMISSION, TRANSFER UNIT OF 4X4, DRIVE AXLE ASSEMBLY, FRONT AND REAR SUSPENSION, STEERING, AIR CONDITIONING UNIT, ELECTRONICS, SEALS, GASKETS, BRAKE SYSTEM, HIGH TECH ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, AND MORE.

POWERTRAIN:
ADDITIONAL 100,000 MILES OF COVERAGE.

CALL TODAY: 1-866-364-3336
PLEASE HAVE YOUR MILEAGE AND VIN # READY SO WE MAY BETTER ASSIST YOU.
MON-FRI: 8:00 AM TO 7:30 PM - SAT: 9:00 AM TO 2:00 PM

If the coverage expires on December 11, 2009, why do I need to respond within five days? More important yet, who is CarSafe?

Never sign up with anything with a company you have no past relationship with. Through my research, it seems these people are the same (though the last digit of the phone number is 1 instead of 6.) The also seem to be tied to "Dealer Preferred Warranties" and "Edge Companies." In addition, several people have reported 636-757-7700 and 720-407-0465 in association with the number listed in my mail. I found this individual's solution quite amusing (although I can't claim that it actually works like that, but feel free to try!)