Episode
No Cash, No Car: The Rule That Could Save Your Shop From Fraud [E219]
- Podcast
- Business By The Numbers
- Published
- Apr 23, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1935
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Summary
Thanks to our partners Promotive, WickedFile, Maverick Shop Owners, and Overdryve What if the biggest fraud threat to your shop isn't a dishonest employee or a shady vendor, but your own customers? What if the payment you accepted last week could be reversed today, and there's nothing the police will do about it? And what if four shops across the country just got hit with the same scam, and yours could be next? In this solo episode, Hunt Demarest, CPA at Paar Melis & Associates, breaks down a wave of customer scams that hit shops from Colorado to Florida in a single week, all targeting one vulnerability most owners have completely overlooked. From a $15,000 BMW driven off without payment to a 28-tire credit card fraud scheme, Hunt unpacks the real math behind what a scam costs your shop, why theft of services is a civil issue the police won't touch, and how the shift to card-not-present payments has quietly handed fraudsters the upper hand. He covers chargebacks, payment types, extended warranty comebacks, and closes with a concrete action plan to lock down your process before it happens to you. Whether you're a seasoned shop owner who's never had a chargeback or someone who just got burned and isn't sure what went wrong, this episode is essential listening. What You'll Learn... (00:01) Intro, sponsor shoutouts, and what's on tap this week (03:57) Why fraud is probably already happening at your shop (07:13) One scam, three jobs: the real math behind what you lose (10:52) No cash, no car — the cardinal rule of vehicle release (11:53) Theft of services is civil, not criminal — why police won't help (18:00) Venmo, Zelle, and credit cards: what's reversible and what isn't (19:28) Card present vs. not present: the chargeback risk you're missing (21:54) Real tire fraud s…