DID YOU BUY A USED CAR LATELY? IF SO, THE DEALER MAY BE TRACKING YOU!

You may not know it, but when you purchased that used car, the dealer may have installed a Global Positioning Sensor on the car to track your whereabouts if you were perceived to be a credit risk. Ever improving technology is making GPS systems the ultimate surveillance tool.

As a general rule, it is not illegal for a car dealer to install a GPS system on a buyer’s used car. But, the dealer must disclose that fact to the buyer. The failure to do so, whether intentional or not, is an illegal practice and may be a basis for forcing the dealer to buy-back your car.

California Civil Code section 2983.37 (a) provides that a dealer shall not “Utilize electronic tracking technology to obtain or record the location of the vehicle, unless the buyer is expressly made aware of the existence and use of the tracking technology… [and the] buyer’s written consent is obtained.”

Feel free to call me if you suspect that your used car is equipped with a GPS tracking device.