Robocalls continue to be irritating and their increased frequency is distracting and exhausting, at least in my experience. We can usually spot them when our caller ID says “potential spam” or if we don’t recognize the number, but robocallers are getting more sophisticated, just like other scammers.

A frequent and increased scam is one alleging that your car warranty is expiring and that you need to renew it. The messages sound legitimate, but they are not. It has become such a problem that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a warning this week advising that you hang up when you receive an auto warranty call.

According to the FTC, “This is an illegal robocall and likely a scam. The companies behind this type of robocall are not with your car dealer or manufacturer, and the ‘extended warranty’ they’re trying to sell you is actually a service contract that often sells for hundreds or thousands of dollars.”

I was raised not to hang up on anyone, but following the FTC’s advice to hang up on auto warranty robocalls seems like a good exception.

If you have seniors in your life who could become a victim of this type of scam, let them know so they, too, can follow the FTC’s advice.