District Attorney Charles Branson wants to hear from Douglas County residents who believe that employees at the Lawrence Kia dealership inflated or misrepresented their income on their loan applications when purchasing a new or used automobile. As the Lawrence Journal-World recently reported, at least one person has alleged that someone at the dealership overstated her income when submitting her loan application. It is unknown at this time how many customers have been impacted.

The Kansas Consumer Protection Act, or KCPA, bars deceptive acts and practices in consumer transactions. Each violation of the KCPA carries a $10,000 civil penalty. A successful case may also result in an injunction that prevents the business engaging in those acts from entering into future transactions.

For those reasons, Branson and his consumer protection division want to hear from any Lawrence Kia customer who believes that the income information submitted on their automobile loan application was incorrect. Customers who believe they have been impacted are urged to contact the District Attorney’s Office. At that time, they should provide:

•     Their name and contact information

•     Date(s) of the transaction

•     Summary of how their income was inflated or otherwise misreported

•     Name(s) of the Lawrence Kia employees they interacted with at the dealership

•     Copies paperwork they still have from the transaction

The consumer protection division can be reached at 785-330-2849 or daconsumer@dgcoks.gov.