PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Legal Newsline) - Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Kilmartin warned consumers Thursday about a possible car wrap scam.
A car wrap is when a car is wrapped with an advertisement for a product, company or logo. In return for the wrap, the company pays the owner of the car for advertising. While there are legitimate companies that offer the opportunity, some car wrap offerings may be part of a scam.
The car wrap scam begins when a victim receives an email or views an ad offering an opportunity to make $300 to $400 a week by wrapping their car with an advertisement for a company. The victim is sent a check as payment and told to take out the first week's pay and wire the rest to the company to begin customizing the wrap to the car's dimensions. The check is fraudulent and the victim ends up wiring funds from their own account to the scammer. After the money is wired, it is unlikely the victim will be able to recover it.
The car wrap scam is a twist on the sweepstakes and mystery shopper scams meant to take advantage of victims by having them wire money or provide personal identifying information.
"The idea of earning money for nothing is often too tempting to pass up," Kilmartin said. "Unfortunately, the scam artists prey on that temptation. It's important to remember the old phrase, 'if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.' A sure giveaway this is a scam is if they request for you to deposit a check and wire some of the funds back to them."
R.I. AG warns consumers about car wrap scam
