In March of 2005, The Consumer Law Group settled a case against a franchise dealership in the western part of Virginia. Our client was a victim of fraud. The dealer sold our client a vehicle that had been wrecked, while telling her the vehicle had not been wrecked. The Consumer Law Group also discovered that the interest rate the dealer gave our client had been marked up above the rate she had been approved at by the lender. The dealer received an undisclosed kick back from the lender based on the amount the dealer inflated the rate above the rate for which our client was approved. Car dealers call this practice “rehashing” or “participation.” The suit was filed based on fraud and the Virginia Consumer Protection Act (VCPA). Prior to the trial, the case was settled for $47,500.