Car wrap advertising scam
These offers promise easy weekly pay to wrap your car in an ad. They mail you a large check, tell you to keep your pay, and send the rest to an "installer".
How this scam works
The check is fake. Your bank makes the money available before it finds out, and when the check bounces, you owe back everything you sent.
Common versions of the message
- Weekly pay for an ad on your car
- A large check in the mail
- Send the rest to an installer
What the message looks like
Text from +1 (555) 018-4419
Earn $600 weekly by putting an ad wrap on your car! We will mail you a check for $2,800. Deposit it, keep your $600, and send the rest to our wrap installer by Zelle today so they can schedule you.
Fictional example based on common, publicly reported scam patterns.
The red flags
- 1
Easy money: “Earn $600 weekly”
Real car wrap ads pay far less, if at all
Real car wrap ad programs are rare and do not pay this much.
- 2
Overpaid check: “mail you a check for $2,800”
The check is fake and will bounce later
A check for more than you are owed is the classic fake check setup.
- 3
Send money on: “send the rest to our wrap installer by Zelle”
You lose what you send when the check bounces
Whatever you send on is gone when the check bounces.
What to do
- Do not deposit the check or send any money.
- Stop replying to the sender.
- Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
If you already replied, clicked, or paid
- If you deposited the check, tell your bank right away that it may be fake.
- If you sent money, call your bank and the payment app right away.
- Do not send more money if they ask you to "fix" the problem.
Got a message like this?
Paste it into TrustShield's free checker to see the warning signs in seconds. No sign-up needed to try it.