Email Car Wrap Scam
The Better Business Bureau recently issued a warning about a car wrapping scam. The most common company mentioned in the scammers' emails is Monster Energy, but you could also find other big brands such as Coca-Cola and Heineken.
Here's how the scam works:
- You get an email saying that you could make $300 or more by driving around your normal route with your car wrapped in a company logo.
- You'll then be asked for your contact information and details about your vehicle.
- From there, the scam escalates and you'll be told you have an upfront payment coming. The check will apparently arrive for far more than the amount you're being paid. You're told that it is to cover the cost of designing and/or applying the wrap for your car and all you have to do now is wire the difference to the person handling the wrap.
- If you don't stop the process there, you'll be out however much money you wire.
- Even though you were able to deposit the check you'll find out later that it was a fake. It can take a week or more for your bank to notify you that a check you deposited was no good.
Overpayment scams are common, and not just with vehicle wraps at the Lake of the Ozarks. When it seems too good to be true, it's too good to be true!
Tips for Avoiding These Type Scams
- No legitimate job will overpay you and have you send the balance elsewhere. If that's the deal, you can bet it's a scam.
- Always be wary of work from home, secret shopper positions or any job with a generic title, such as admin assistant or customer service representative. Since these positions don't require training or licensing, they appeal to a wide range of applicants which is exactly what a scammer wants.
- If you get an opportunity to make money via an unsolicited email, be extremely skeptical. Be sure to do some research online and see if anyone else has gotten similar pitches. Also check the real companies webpage to see if there is anything about the job listed there.
- Be skeptical of any job or money-making opportunity in which you get the job or opportunity without any application, conversation or interview. A real company will want to talk to a candidate before hiring him or her.
- Watch out for poor grammar and mistakes in the email. An ad agency working for a major brand isn't likely to send an email in broken English.
If you are going to wrap your vehicle, make sure it's done by a professional. Never wire money to a an unknown company. If you receive one of these emails, feel free to contact ProDezigns for a sanity check. We're here to give our clients the highest level of customer service!
If you can drive it, ride it, pull it, fly it, or lift it, we can wrap it!
Pro DeZigns
36 Scrivner Road
Eldon, Missouri 65026
P: (573) 392-0500
F: (573) 392-0094
E-mail: jim@prodezigns.com
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