Consumer complaint received 2026-05-24 00:00:00
Product: Vehicle loan or lease — Loan
Issue: Getting a loan or lease — Problem with additional add-on products or services purchased with the loan
Company: NBT BANCORP INC.
State: NY

Complaint narrative:
CONSUMER FRAUD SUMMARY Auto Dealer Fraud & Odometer Misrepresentation Date of Incident : XX/XX/year> Transaction Details Date of Purchase : XX/XX/year> Dealership : XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX Lender : NBT Bank, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX Finance Representative : XXXX ( XXXX XXXX XXXX ) Loan Amount ( Correct ) : {$19000.00} Correct Payment Est. : XXXX XXXXXXXXmonth Unauthorized Charges : {$2600.00} + {$1900.00} added without consent Documented Violations 1. Odometer Fraud ( Federal Criminal Offense ) Purchase agreement documents vehicle mileage as 3 miles Actual odometer reading : over 130 miles upon arriving home Driving distance home was approximately 1 mile Discrepancy of 127+ miles constitutes federal odometer fraud under 49 U.S.C . 32710 Remedy : {$10000.00} or three times actual damages, whichever is greater EVIDENCE : Photograph odometer immediately and preserve purchase agreement 2. Unauthorized Charges Added to Loan Grace represented that {$2600.00} covered both XXXX and tire/wheel coverage An additional {$1900.00} was added without disclosure or consent Total unauthorized service contract charges rolled into loan without agreement 3. Incomplete Contract Delivery Only 2 pages ( both signature pages ) of a 14-page service contract were provided Remaining 12 pages of terms and conditions were withheld entirely Providing only signature pages while withholding contract terms is a deliberate deceptive practice Violates New York consumer protection law and standard contract requirements 4. Physical Obstruction of Document Review Grace physically covered portions of the purchase agreement with her fingers Quickly withdrew the contract before it could be reviewed Deliberately prevented review of the numbers and terms 5. Unidentified Contract Administrator The service contract administrator phone number provided ( XXXX ) was out of service on XX/XX/year> and remains out of service as of XX/XX/year> Website ( XXXX ) was non-functional on XX/XX/year> but became accessible on XX/XX/year> 6. Potential Conflict of Interest NBT Bank is both the auto lender AND listed on the service contract NBT Bank directly profited from adding defective product to the loan NBT Bank notified by email on the evening of XX/XX/year> ( same day as incident ) 7. Fabricated Email Address on Legal Document Email address on purchase agreement is completely fabricated - not a typo Ensured required digital disclosures and contract copies could never be received Ensured cancellation deadlines and notices would never reach the buyer Discovered upon review of purchase agreement on XX/XX/year> Demonstrates premeditated, deliberate fraud rather than careless mistakes Legal Basis LAW APPLICATION 49 U.S.C. 32710 Federal Odometer Fraud - minimum {$10000.00} recovery NY GBL Section 349 Deceptive acts/practices - actual damages, {$50.00} minimum, potential triple damages + attorney fees FTC Act Deceptive trade practices in vehicle sales CFPB Regulations Unauthorized loan charges and lender conflict of interest Evidence Checklist Photograph of single-page service contract provided Screenshot of XXXX showing non-functional website on XX/XX/year> ( site became accessible XX/XX/year> ) Screenshot or recording of XXXX being out of service Photograph of odometer showing 130+ miles Copy of purchase agreement showing 3-mile odometer notation Copy of sent email to NBT Bank with timestamp Written timeline of events at dealership PREPARED : XX/XX/year> XXXX

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation