Auto Insurance Letters Sent By Mail

People are receiving letters like this in the mail (picture sourced from this address)

I first learned of these letters from a Facebook group to which I belong and many people have automatically assumed that it was a scam. Since running a scam through the US Mail is a federal offense, that is a serious accusation and shouldn't be made lightly, especially since it could get the US Postal Inspection Service involved.

Definitions

To be clear: If someone offers to provide a service to you, in exchange for money and you pay them, but they don't provide the service, that makes it a scam. However, if you pay them and they provide the service, you haven't been scammed, even if they overcharge you.

Who and Where They Are

Using a burner account, I called the given number, 800-889-0871 and spoke to a woman who answered. She was very friendly and forthright when I asked for the name of the company and their actual location,

According to her, the company sending the letters is called "AutoProtect USA" and is based in Maryland Heights, Missouri. While she couldn't provide me with the company's physical address, she gave the mailing address as PO Box 1827, St Charles, MO 63301.

She also mention that, while based in Missouri, AutoProtect USA is registered as a business in Florida. When I looked for the business registration on the website of the Florida Department of State Division of Corporations, I couldn't find it, either as a registered name or as a fictitious name.

I also asked if AutoProtect USA is a registered business in Missouri and she didn't seem to know. So, I looked it up myself on the Missouri Online Business Filing site and discovered that AutoProtect USA is registered as a business in Missouri as AutoProtect USA, LLC. It was registered on December 22, 2021 and its registered agent is Cody Moore. Its physical address is 50 Wedgewood Dr, Troy, MO 63379-2005 and Google informed me that another company, Mechanic On Wheels LLC, which also seems to be associated with Cody Moore because I found their phone number and a quick search shows that the number for Mechanic on Wheels is registered to him. Cody Moore is also mentioned on AutoProtect USA's Bizapedia page.

Cody Moore is the registered agent for AutoProtect USA and several other companies, most of which I won't mention here because they are irrelevant to this blog post. While he might be annoying people who receive his letters in the mail, he doesn't appear to be breaking any laws.

Who Is Cody Moore?

Mr Moore really does have a license to sell insurance in the State of Missouri, He received his licenses for Motor Vehicle Extended Services Contract and Insurance Producer, effective as of February 2022. So, he's been licensed for less than 2 years, as of this writing.

Since I live in Hawaii as does the person in my Facebook group who received the letter, I checked to see if Cody Moore is licensed to sell insurance in Hawaii and his name didn't show as being actively licensed here. It's possible that he may be licensed in other states, but I don't feel like devoting the time I would need to search all 50 states and there seems to be a lot of other people out there named "Cody Moore".

About AutoProtect USA

A Google search shows an AutoProtect USA based in Texas, but that company no longer seems to exist, due to tax forfeiture by the state government as of July 2023.

The Missouri company, AutoProtect USA, LLC is listed by the Better Business Bureau and they have given it a D- rating. The BBB also contacted AutoProtect USA about complaints the BBB had received and they posted this on the website:

Better Business Bureau is advising consumers to use caution when considering doing business with AutoProtect USA.  BBB has received a pattern of consumer complaints alleging misleading advertising, failure to cover needed repairs, failure to remove consumers from mailing and no-call lists, high pressure sales tactics, failure to cancel contracts, failure to provide refunds and poor customer service. 

On April 19, 2023, BBB sent a letter to AutoProtect USA.  The company did not respond. 

They also posted this:

In September 2021, Better Business Bureau questioned AutoProtect USA's marketing email which stated:

“CALL BEFORE: September 29, 2021”

“Our records indicate that you have not contacted us regarding the vehicle service contract on your vehicle.”

“You are receiving this notice because your factory warranty has expired or may be about to expire.”

“By neglecting to activate your coverage you will be at risk of being financially liable for any and all repairs after your factory warranty expires. However, you still may have time left to activate coverage on your vehicle before it’s too late.”

“This may be our only attempt to contact you about activating your Vehicle Service Contract.”

According to BBB Code of Advertising, “The primary responsibility for truthful and non-deceptive advertising rests with the advertiser. Advertisers should be prepared to substantiate any objective claims or offers made before publication or broadcast. Upon request, they should present such substantiation promptly to the advertising medium or BBB. Advertisements which are untrue, misleading, deceptive, fraudulent, falsely disparaging of competitors, or insincere offers to sell, shall not be used. An advertisement as a whole may be misleading by implication, although every sentence separately considered may be literally true. Misrepresentation may result not only from direct statements, but by omitting or obscuring a material fact. In addition, according to the Missouri state statute 15 CSR 60-7.020 (1): “A seller shall not make a representation or statement of fact in an advertisement that is false or has the capacity to mislead prospective purchasers.” 

BBB requested the business substantiate, modify or discontinue the claims made in its advertising. The company did not respond to BBB’s request.

On the BBB listing, Cody Moore's name does not appear. Instead, an individual named Jeremy Stout is listed as "Director of Customer Relations". If Mr Stout is supposed to be handling customer relations, he doesn't appear to be doing a very good job.

I even found Mr Moore's Facebook and LinkedIn pages and there is no mention of AutoProtect USA, which is a bit odd because he's the registered agent for that company in Missouri. However, he does mention working for another company, HomeProtect USA, on his Facebook page, as well as his own insurance company, Moore Insurance Team.

I will not reveal the link to his Facebook page because he has pictures of his children on it. So, let's leave his family out of it, okay?

Some Conclusions

It's difficult to determine exactly how involved Cody Moore actually is in the day-to-day workings of AutoProtect USA, aside from being the registered agent of the company. According to the BBB listing, Jeremy Stout appears to be more involved, especially since he actually mentions it and HomeProtect USA on his Facebook page, while Moore does not and I cannot determine if they even know each other.

If Cody Moore finds this blog post and if he had been previously unaware of the accusations of AutoProtect USA being some kind of scam, then I sincerely advise him to take some sort of action to correct the situation. People don't like receiving suspicious letters in the mail.

As I already stated above, Cody Moore and AutoProtect USA don't seem to breaking any laws by sending out the letters, as annoying as they are for recipients.

I advise anyone who receives one of these letters to simply throw them away. The BBB listing advises caution when dealing with them and even Cody Moore himself doesn't mention them on his social media accounts. That should tell you everything you need to know.

Duane Browning