Car dealership ran a credit check 4 months after car purchased with cash?!?

Question

I purchased a new car with cash about 4 months ago. I was originally going to use financing but despite my very good credit score the interest rate was much higher than I was willing to pay. So I managed to pull together enough cash to pay for the car in full, paid the car off and thought all was done.

Well today I check my credit report and the car dealership has run another credit check!? Why would they do this when the car has been paid off in full? Is this legal? (I live in the state of Florida, the most notorious for dealership scams!)

Answer 1

Very odd.

Answer 2

No, it is not legal.  I highly recommend you contact the dealer and alert them of the situation.  Also, call all three credit bureaus and put a fraud alert on your account.  It could be someone fishing for your information to see if you are a good target for identity theft.  Anytime someone runs a credit check on you your authorization should always be in writing.

What would not be legal about the situation would be accessing private information without consent.  If you bought the car out-wright there is no reason for them to run any credit check.  Almost every state has privacy laws.

Answer 3

you have the car's title in your name??  You own it free and clear??

So every once and awhile make sure they didn't use your name  for someone else. Maybe someday you will get the opportunity to put them in one of those luxurious Florida  prisons.