Car Wrap Advertising Scam

Overview

Scammers offer people hundreds of dollars a week to drive around with their car wrapped in a major brand's advertising, then send a fake cashier's check that leaves victims owing the bank money after they wire funds to a "vendor."

How It Works

A victim sees an ad or gets a text claiming a major brand will pay them hundreds of dollars a week to wrap their car in company advertising. After filling out an application, a "boss" contacts them by text with instructions and mails a cashier's check meant to cover the cost of installing the wrap. The victim is told to deposit the check and use part of it to pay a specific "local vendor" via Venmo or Cash App who will supposedly install the wrap. Because the check initially appears to clear, the victim sends real money to the scammer-controlled vendor before the bank discovers the check is counterfeit, leaving the victim responsible for repaying the full fake amount.

Red Flags

• Unsolicited offer to pay hundreds of dollars a week just for driving with an ad wrap on your car
• You're sent a check and told to deposit it, then immediately send part of the money elsewhere via Venmo or Cash App
• The employer contacts you only through text message and never in person or via a verifiable company channel
• You never met the "vendor" and were told exactly which one to pay
• The job requires no interview and pays out before any actual work (driving/advertising) has occurred

Real Examples

• In BBB's own reporting, one victim described the scam directly: told to deposit the check and pay a vendor through Venmo once it cleared, they sent $3,500 — then waited two days for someone to come wrap their car. No one ever came, and the vendor kept making excuses when contacted.

Where It Spreads

How to Protect Yourself

• Never spend money from a deposited check or send any of it elsewhere before the check has fully cleared, which can take weeks even if the funds appear available sooner
• Know that banks are allowed to make a check's funds available before the transfer is actually verified — a check can look "cleared" and spendable for days before the bank discovers it's fake and reverses it
• Contact the brand named in the ad directly through its official website to verify whether it actually runs a car wrap advertising program
• Only use payment apps like Venmo or Cash App to send money to people you personally know, never a "vendor" a stranger tells you to pay
• Report suspected car wrap scams to BBB Scam Tracker and the FTC

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