Wrapped in scams: car wrap advertisements scamming people out of their money

NEW MARKET, Ala. (WHNT) — Katherine Atkinson received a letter and a check in the mail after filling out a survey on Facebook, but the question quickly became was it real?

“I’m not really dumb, I don’t fall for a lot of scams, but it looked very legitimate,” Atkinson said.

She filled out a survey that was offering financial compensation in return for wrapping your car in an advertisement for a company. In Atkinson’s case, the company with the advertisement was Dr. Pepper.

“I got this check in the mail with a letter,” Atkinson said. “And the letter was Dr. Pepper letterhead, somewhat, and there was a check. The instructions on the letter were kind of odd. Just to text this number with my name and the amount of the check and they would tell me what to do.”

Everything looked real, down to the security detailing on the check, until her loved ones urged her not to deposit the check. That’s when Atkinson decided to do more digging.

“I did look up the company from the check, that the check came from,” Atkinson said. “And, it is a legitimate company, but it didn’t have anything to do with Dr. Pepper.”

The company on the check is a flooring company from right outside of Detroit, MI. The bank? Old National Bank in Terre Haute, IN, making the two nearly 400 miles apart from one another.

So, how do the scammers win? Victims are asked to use some of the check’s funds to pay a “car wrap installer”. Once the check bounces a few days later, it’s the victim’s personal funds that are used to fulfill the payment.

Karen Reeves with the BBB of North Alabama and the Federal Trade Commission has acknowledged that these car wrap advertisements are scams and looking to take anyone’s money. Both organizations have released articles on the matter.

Atkinson’s biggest piece of advice for people: if something looks too good to be true, it probably is.

-“Don’t put a check, an erroneous check, into your account and think you’re going to get money,” Atkinson said. “Because nobody’s gonna send you $3600 free money.”

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