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A Deer Park teenager says he was blacklisted by his bank, all because he fell for a scam. The problem wasn’t corrected until Team 12 Investigates started making calls. Drew Waites’ story is a cautionary tale for anyone looking to make some extra cash. He fell for what’s known as a car wrap scam. It uses fake checks to steal your money. The typical victim loses around $2,000 and, as Waites learned, the ability to open accounts at any financial institution. Waites is joining the U.S. Marine Corps in September. Growing up in a military family, he knows the importance of hard work. He turned his love of cars into his own car-detailing business by the age of 18. “I’m just a young business owner trying to have sponsors,” Waites said. Waites thought he was about to land his biggest sponsor yet. He got an email stating NOS Energy drink would pay him to wrap his car in their company logo. “You get paid $750 a week for 12 weeks,” Waites said. “I thought everything was certified. I checked the websites, checked everything.” He clicked on a link in the email and filled out an online application. Then, he got a $3,900 check in the mail with these instructions: deposit the check, pay $3,100 to a local car-wrapping vendor and keep the rest as first week’s pay. Well, he never made it that far. “I deposited the check and the next day my whole account was closed at Bank of America,” said Waites. The check was fake and the email was a car wrap scam. It tricks people into sending money to scammers who pose as car decal installers. The Better Business Bureau reports that these types of scams are an emerging threat. “A car wrap scam is a form of an employment scam and employment scams remain the No. 2 riskiest scam, according to the BBB scam risk report,” explained Claire Rosenzweig, the president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving Metropolitan New York. “Reports of employment scams went up by 54.2% between 2022 and 2023 and the age group that’s hit the most is between 18 and 44.” Waites said he talked to a real person over the phone who was pretending to be from NOS Energy. Team 12 Investigates called that same number. Once we identified ourselves, the scammer abruptly hung up. News 12 also reached out to NOS Energy about scammers impersonating them. The company did not immediately respond to requests, but previously sent Waites an email that acknowledged it was aware of the scam. For Waites, the consequences were severe. Bank of America put him on a five-year blacklist from every financial institution. He said he and his parents initially weren’t given a reason. “They made me call customer service, so just me and my dad were on the phone and we went through eight people,” said Waites. “And we still didn’t reach the top person that closed the account or could describe it to us.” Team 12 Investigates began calling Bank of America. A bank spokesperson said they took this action because Waites deposited a fake check. “Bank of America closes accounts associated with fraud to protect our clients,” the spokesperson said. After News 12’s inquiry and repeated emails, Bank of America realized Waites was a victim—not a scammer. They removed him from their blacklist. “When we determine there is no fraud, similar to this case, we allow clients to open new accounts at the bank and continue to bank with us,” a bank spokesperson said.
Here’s how to protect yourself from fake check scams: - Never deposit checks when someone asks you to send back money.
- Be wary if you did not initiate the contact with a prospective employer
- Reach out to the company directly to verify that they are hiring
“Be careful,” Waites said. “Whatever sounds too good to be true, it's definitely not true.” The Federal Trade Commission is trying to keep track of how many of these scams are out there. If you spot a scam, file a claim with the agency on their
website . "
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