Auto dealer fraud is a term that describes deceptive and unlawful practices used by car dealers at almost any stage of the vehicle purchase process. Examples of auto dealer fraud include “bait and switch” advertising practices, odometer rollbacks, yo-yo car sales, failure to disclose information about a vehicle, and other unscrupulous activities.

A bait and switch is a form of false or deceptive advertising, in which a car dealer advertises one vehicle at a certain price, then tells the customer that the particular vehicle is no longer available before using aggressive tactics to sell a different, more expensive vehicle (or the advertised vehicle at a price higher than the advertised price).

Odometer rollback is when the dealership tampers with an odometer to show a lesser mileage than what the vehicle actually has. 

Yo-yo car sales is when a dealership sells you a car with a certain APR and calls you after a few days to tell you your financing did not go through and you need to come in and sign paperwork at a higher interest rate.