Beware: Car Wrap Scams Are Still An Issue In The New Year
New year, same scams! According to the FTC, car wrap scams are still going strong as we head into the new year.
The Federal Trade Commission has issued a warning to consumers, stating that the common car wrap scams we always hear about were still an issue ending 2020 and heading into the new year.
According to their press release, they have recently received reports that scammers are posing as employees at Marlboro and Purell. If you aren't familiar with the scam, it works like this: scammers reach out to people by email, social media or even on job boards offering up what seems like a nice job and quick cash. In exchange for $700 bucks, you are asked to wrap your car for a particular brand and drive around as a means of advertising.
From there, if you apply for the job and respond, you are sent a check and told to use part of it to pay to get the ads on your car. You are asked to pay by money order, money services or by making a cash deposit. Of course, this is a scam and you can't get your money back. In some cases, the person who is putting the wrap on your car is on on the scam and takes your money.
This scam has been reported as far back as 2019. At that time, college students in need of a job were targeted in a car wrapping scam. It looks like things haven't changed too much, even over a year later.