“CodeKase” Car Dealership Scam

Beware of the CodeKase scam

CodeKase is a deceptive marketing device delivered through traditional mail that is used for promotional purposes. CodeKase is a plastic oval object with a small LED screen that shows a series of 6 or 7 numbers. Over the years many desperate car dealerships have used CodeKase as a deceptive promotional tool. A car dealership will send a promotional voucher in the mail with the CodeKase piece attached to it. The vouchers will instruct targets to reveal their CodeKase number and compare it with the winning number. The CodeKase number will be identical to the winning number and the voucher will suggest that the target won a certain amount of cash or other prize even though the target did not win.

One of the most recent CodeKase scams uses a VerifyAndGo voucher to trick unsuspecting victims into thinking they’re winners. A person will receive the VerifyAndGo voucher in the mail with the CodeKase piece attached to it. The voucher states that your CodeKase number (such as 701657) matches the winning number and you won a prize. In order to verify your prize status you must visit VerifyAndGo.com or call a phone number (such as 1-888-612-5865); However, you did not actually win anything.

If you visit VerifyAndGo.com and input your zip code and pin number the website will say “Invalid code or this offer has expired, please try again. If the offer has expired, please contact the dealer directly.” It is simply a marketing scheme to persuade targets to call or visit the car dealership who sent the item in the mail.

There are many car dealership “scams” like this including The King of Cars Cash Game,Money Carlo Match to Win, and others.

While researching a similar marketing plot we spoke to several employees and ex-employees of certain car dealerships who strongly suggest that these marketing tactics are scams and baiscally a deceptive marketing ploy. They described it as a deceptive marketing scheme used to acquire potential customers. The car dealerships that utilize these tactics want you to visit their location and sell you a car. In order to get you to do this you must visit the location with your game piece in hand.

I would not go as far as most people to classify CodeKase as a “full-blown” scam, but I would say that it is a very unethical marketing technique and car dealerships who participate in this marketing scheme should be punished. Telling people that they won a large amount of cash when they did not is dishonest and unethical. It’s a terrible thing to do to people, and these bad car dealerships should be ashamed of themselves for utilizing this promotional method.

If you receive these types of games in the mail in the future you may want to throw them away before you end up wasting your time visiting a dishonest and greedy car dealership. I also recommend to leave the car dealership a bad review online, on various websites like Yelp and Google, in order to put an end to this type of marketing scheme once and for all.