Have you come across online ads or messages promising easy income by simply wrapping your car with brand decals like Monster Energy, Red Bull, or Pepsi? These enticing “Car Decal Advertising Programs” often claim that you just need to deposit a check, use a portion to pay a designated vendor for the wrap, and then drive as usual to get paid. However, before you rush to sign up, it’s crucial to understand the reality behind these offers. This isn’t an easy money opportunity; it’s a well-crafted scam designed to steal your money.
How These Car Wrap Scams Target You
These fraudulent “car decal advertising program” offers often appear in various places online to maximize their reach. You might spot these ads on job boards, social media platforms, or even receive direct messages. Scammers sometimes target individuals by finding their profiles or resumes on job search websites, making the offer seem personalized and more credible.
Unmasking the Car Wrap Scam
The initial message typically lures you in with the promise of earning a few hundred dollars weekly for participating in a “car decal advertising program”. However, the scam quickly unfolds when you receive a check – and it’s for a significantly larger amount than expected, often thousands of dollars. Along with the check comes instructions to deposit it, keep a portion as your payment, and wire the remaining funds to a third-party company supposedly responsible for applying the car wraps.
Weeks later, the deposited check bounces, revealing it was counterfeit all along. Your bank then informs you that the check was fake, leaving you responsible for the full amount. The “share” you thought you earned vanishes, and the money you wired for the nonexistent car wrap is irretrievable. Adding insult to injury, you’re now liable to your bank for the bounced, fake check. And, unsurprisingly, no one ever shows up to wrap your car for this supposed “car decal advertising program”.
Spotting the Red Flags of a Car Wrap Scam
Identifying this scam is crucial to protect yourself from financial loss. Here are the telltale signs:
- Unsolicited offers: Be wary of unsolicited messages or ads promoting “car decal advertising programs” that promise easy money for minimal effort.
- Overpayment scam: Any offer that involves receiving a check for an amount greater than your supposed earnings and requiring you to wire back the difference is a major red flag.
- Wiring money: Legitimate advertising programs would never ask you to handle payments to vendors directly. Demands to wire money, especially through services that are difficult to trace, are almost always scam indicators.
- Too good to be true: If an opportunity sounds too easy and pays exceptionally well for simply driving your car, it’s likely a scam.
If you encounter a “car decal advertising program” that asks you to deposit a check and wire money, it’s unequivocally a scam. Legitimate companies would handle payments to car wrapping vendors directly. Always question why you, the potential advertiser, would be asked to pay the wrapping vendor instead of the company running the ad campaign.
Have you been targeted by this car decal advertising scam? Report it immediately by filing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Educate yourself further about fake check scams and money wiring scams to avoid falling victim to similar schemes in the future. You can find more information on the FTC’s website about fake checks and money transfer scams.
