Have you seen ads promising easy money if you shrink-wrap your car — with ads for brands like Monster Energy, Red Bull, or Pepsi? The “company” behind the ads says all you have to do is deposit a check, use part of it to pay a specified shrink-wrap vendor, and drive around like you normally would. But don’t jump onto the bandwagon. It’s only easy money for the scammer who placed the ads.
How you spot the “offer”
You might see an ad on a job board or on social media. Or someone might send you a message — maybe because they saw your profile or resume on a job site.
How the scam works
The message says you’ll make a couple hundred bucks. But when the “company” sends you a check, it’s for much more than that — a couple thousand dollars. They tell you to deposit the check, keep part of it as your share, and wire the rest to another company that will wrap your car.
Weeks after you wire the money, the check bounces and your bank tells you it was a fake. The money you kept as “your share” disappears, and the money you wired is long gone — no getting it back. On top of that, you’re on the hook for paying your bank back for the fake check. And, of course, no one’s wrapping your car.
How you can tell it’s a scam
If you get a message urging you to deposit a check and wire money back, it’s a scam. Every time. No matter the story. And if this were a legitimate car wrap opportunity, wouldn’t the company directly pay the car-wrapping vendor, instead of asking you to do it?
Has this happened to you? File a complaint. Want to know more? Read our articles to learn how to spot variations on fake checks and money wiring scams.
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In reply to I got a message from hublut by Angela
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In reply to Solar City they send their by Cullum
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If you deposit a bad check, and send some money to someone and then find out that the check is no good, you have to repay the bank.
It can take weeks for a bank to find out that a check is fraudulent. Even if the check bounces weeks after you sent the money, you have to repay the bank for the fake check.
In reply to If you deposit a bad check, by FTC Staff
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Pagination