Pub. 2 Issue 2

13 SUMMER 2014 A s the U.S. economy has begun to recover from the Great Recession, many dealerships have relaxed a little. Cash has begun flowing again, and it isn’t necessary — as it was for a while — to be quite so careful about spending. That’s good news, but there is a negative aspect: as dealerships relax, they become more susceptible to fraud. You already know how hard the economic downturn was on dealerships, but now the U.S. love affair with cars and trucks has picked up again despite a weak economy and high unem- ployment. Why? No one knows for sure, but at least three fac- tors have possibly contributed: pent-up demand from the years when so many people decided to drive their vehicles longer instead of replacing them; a continuation of extremely low interest rates, which makes more car available for less money Fraud Protection for Dealers  Fraud Protection — continued on page 14