If I asked you what comes to mind when you think of shifty, dishonest industries, what would you think of first?

I’d be willing to bet the old “used car salesman” stereotype would appear in your head pretty quickly. Having dealt with a few shady salespeople and mechanics myself, it’s definitely the first thing I’d think of.

That isn’t to say the entire automotive industry is unscrupulous–that’s certainly not the case at all. But even legitimate car sales and repair businesses are known to apply some questionable high-pressure sales tactics, whether it’s selling you a vehicle or a service.

And then there ARE the unscrupulous businesses, overcharging for inferior parts, convincing customers to pay for services they don’t need, and roping buyers into predatory financing on vehicles they can’t actually afford.

But if I asked you what comes to mind when you think of an industry that preys on seniors, would you still think of that dubious car salesman?

I wouldn’t. But neither did the National Council on Aging in its list of scams affecting seniors, according to CheatSheet.com. This is probably because many seniors don’t drive all that often or at all–how often would they need to visit a dealership or an auto body? It’s just not the first thing you might think of.

Not only does it happen, CheatSheet says, but it’s common enough that seniors need to be on the lookout for several different tactics a dealership or mechanic might use to target them because of their age.

And some of them, like what CheatSheet calls the “You Must Have Heard Me Wrong” scam, are designed to play directly on the difficulties and anxieties an older person might have with hearing and memory. It’s a disgusting tactic a deceitful salesperson saves just for senior clients.

This is one of ten auto scams affecting seniors identified in this informative article. If you’re considering trading in your vehicle for something better or having any significant work done on the vehicle you already have, I suggest giving this one a skim so you can rest assured you’ve made a great purchase.