June 18th, NBC 10 reported Prosecutors are investigating Burlington County, a car dealer in New Jersey.
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Autosmart, Route 73, Palmyra, was provided with a search warrant, and investigators took license plates from the company’s garage and photographed boxes and computers from the office.
The prosecutor could only confirm that the dealer was under investigation and that he had not spoken about the specific charges. However, they told the news station they had received several complaints that the customer had been scammed at the dealer.
What’s interesting is that NBC 10 was already looking into Autosmart after viewers reached out to her on the issues she was facing. And recent research may be related to that.
Susan Noble asked NBC 10 to investigate issues related to cars that he purchased and funded through AutoSmart last September.
“I bought a used car from Autosmart in Palmyra,” Noble told NBC 10.
Noble said she funded the purchase through the American Credit Acceptance (ACA) and returned in a few months with plans to refinance.
“They said they sent a payoff check to the first company I raised funds,” Noble said. Payoff amount is the total required to meet your obligation, including interest and charges.
However, the ACA began texting Noble, saying that her monthly payments were due or late. She also failed to get the title of her car.
Noble said the ACA told her that she never received a payoff payment for a loan from AutoSmart.
“They didn’t actually do that, but they continued to pay monthly on my behalf,” she explained.
That left her with two car loans in her name, with two car loans over $50,000.
This hurts her ability to buy a home, she said.
“They know how hard I work. They know I’m a nurse. They know I’m a single mother… It’s just ruthless for them to do this to me,” she got emotional on NBC 10.
NBC 10 contacted AutoSmart to find out why Noble’s original loans weren’t paid off when they refinanced them through them. Representatives from SmartSource responded and criticized the relevant financial institutions, saying they were AutoSmart consultants.
On June 3, the representative said it would take 10 days for payments to be processed and the full amount to be paid. But Noble said that wouldn’t happen.
“I want to see them, you know, I’m accountable,” she told NBC 10.
The news station could not get answers about it or AutoSmart’s investigation. neither ACA nor AutoSmart responded.
The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office has issued a statement on the automotive investigation that states, “No charges have been filed. The public who wants to speak with investigators about their experience with this dealer should contact tips@co.burlingtonnj.us.”
It is worth noting that AutoSmart also has a rating of “F” Better Business Bureau Twenty-seven complaints have been filed against the business.
One complaint from April 2025 stated, “I traded at KIA Celtos in December 2023 and the car loan was not resolved. We signed a contract. We signed an agreement to repay the loan. The company is paying monthly until January 2025.
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What Noble said to her could be a sign of honest confusion or serious mismanagement of funds and fraud. Car loan refinance fraud is handled by the Federal Trade Commission Pages dedicated to them.
Repainting fraud promising to get a lower payment on your car loan, but telling you to ask for a prepayment or make your loan payment directly to them and say you will pay your lender for you while they negotiate the transaction.
“The truth is, scam refiners aren’t negotiating with your lender or anyone else,” says the FTC. “If you make monthly car payments to the Mint on behalf of the lender, those payments can go directly into the fraudster’s pocket. You cannot repay the loan. You can only find scams if the lender misses the payment or if the car is repeated.”
These scams can hurt borrowers and make their financial situation even worse. For one thing, delays in car loans can put your car in danger of being reclaimed. It can also damage your credit score, making it difficult to borrow money whenever you need it the next time.
Therefore, it is important to be careful when dealing with a refinancing company.
Auto dealers have a variety of ways to seduce buyers who have tried their credit. They can only surprise the low vehicle prices and low funding rates, and promise to hit you at a surprising cost.
One good way to avoid getting on a ride is to read the fine print of the loan document. Sometimes, car dealers offer seemingly attractive interest rates on car loans, but they hit you with hidden fees that promote costs.
Another popular tactic is yo-yo scams. It is said that car loans are final and are allowed to drive away cars. After that, days or weeks, you are told that your funding didn’t pass, and your only option is to sign a new loan on less favorable terms or return the car.
Whenever you are pressured to sign a car loan quickly, you need to know that it should be considered a red flag. Another thing you need to know when buying a car is that you don’t need to fund it through it or from the dealer.
It’s beneficial to shop for yourself Auto Loan To compare rates, handling lenders directly may have advantages.
We also recommend that you research the dealer before proceeding with your car purchase. To check out complaints and reviews, look at sites like Yelp, as well as sites like Better Business Bureau and Yelp.
However, if you are scammed, please submit a report to the FTC and the state attorney general’s office.
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This article is for information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
