Vehicle Wrap Scam (Car Advertising)

I admit, I love a good money-making idea as much as the next person.  So when I saw the Facebook posting asking if I was willing to put a full-body wrap on my car for $400, I was interested.  After Googling the concept I realized that while the idea itself is legitimate, the amount of money being offered to me screamed "Scam!"

I have taken up a hobby of playing with scammers whenever I can, and getting them busted if possible.  So, I decided to engage the scammers in the car wrap advertisement.

I sent this email:

"I live in Salt Lake City, and have a Toyota RAV4.  I commute about 60 miles a day. I would be interested in having a wrap on my car."

I almost immediately received an email response, asking for my name, address (to send the check!), and some other basic info.  The email ended with the promise:

We shall be contacting you as soon as we receive these information.

Note: Our company wraps will only be on your side doors and will not

damage your car paint

when it is removed at the end of your contract.

VEHICLE WRAP  looks forward to working with you

Sincerely,

Patrick"

As soon as I sent my basic info, the "interview" began.  This was no doubt done to make me feel that vehicle wraps weren't just for anyone, although the scam is.  

Below are some questions you need to answer before we proceed.

*How long do you intend to carry the advert on your car? 

*Do you use your car everyday?

*The shortest possible distance you cover daily?

*Do you have a drivers license? 

*If yes,send an attachment for confirmation.

The car wrap is expected to properly start next and your upfront payment will be mailed to you after proper confirmation. This will enable you to fix and service any part of the car not

functioning effectively; After this, the graphics designer will come to your door to get your vehicle wrapped.Also check your Email every day to get updated as to when the upfront payments will arrive your place.

VEHICLE WRAP will be taking full responsibility should in case the decal damages your car which is impossible in most cases. We will keep you posted as to when the funds will get to you and when

the graphics man will arrive.

Thanks for your cooperation,

VEHICLE WRAP.

VEHICLE WRAP (c) 2015  All rights Reserved.

Finally, after showing that I would be a good candidate for an auto wrap, I got the "good" news:

Good Day Participant,

How are you today, Hope your having a great day.

I just received an update from our finance department that the payment

has been issued out and will be delivered to you  via USPS Courier.

Expected Delivery Day:Friday OR Saturday. You can Track on WWW.USPS.COM

here is the USPS tracking #(9405501699320055877124). The check covers

an upfront payment for you and the payment of the artist coming to

wrap your vehicle and the materials suitable to wrap your vehicle.Get

the check deposited into your bank account, and the

funds will be made available into your account once the check clears,

it clears your bank the same day. Take out an upfront payment of

($400) and proceed in sending the remaining money to the graphic

artist via MONEY GRAM.The graphic artist isn't in office right now,

because he is currently working on a vehicle in MN, and should be done

tonight. He will be flying down to your location as soon as  he

receives the money to get your vehicle wrapped.Your weekly payment

continues next week and subsequent payments will be $400 only the Wrap

Artist will also come along with the necessary contract documents and

paper works you are to sign.Send the wrap artist's money via MONEY

GRAM to the info below.You are to compulsory use the 3 names (Leonor

Avila Hernandez) below while sending

Name: Leonor Avila Hernandez

Address: 2223 N 3rd Street

City: Minneapolis

State:  MN

Zip Code: 55411

There is a transfer charge at the MONEY GRAM store, Take out the

transfer charges and Get the remainder sent to him. (Send using money

in minutes service)

Please confirm  that the money was processed and made available before

leaving the MONEY GRAM store.

Send a pic of the MONEY GRAM receipt  when you get it sent.

Thanks for your cooperation

Looking forward to read from you.

This is the heart of the scam -- send a check, have it deposited, and then have the victim withdraw the funds released by the bank and wired to another person before the check gets returned.  A few days after the money is sent, the bank is notified that the check bounced or was fraudulent, but by now the scammers are long gone.

Sure enough, the check arrived by Priority Mail on Saturday.  It looked real enough - issued by 

"Chicago Title Company LLC. A quick Google search revealed that there is such a company at the 

address given on the check.  The routing number on the check (071000288) also matches 

BMO Harris Bank.  So far, everything looks good, as it is intended to.


All that remained was to verify that the check was good. I called BMO Harris Bank the following 

Monday and spoke with their corporate department, who confirmed, surprise, surprise, that the check was bogus.  I asked if there was anything we could do to prosecute Patrick or Leonor, and they 

indicated that this kind of thing happened all the time, and there was nothing that the bank could do.

But I wanted to keep the game going, so I emailed Patrick and told him the "check is deposited.  

Bank says funds will be available Friday." I didn't deposit the check in reality, of course, because 

I didn't want to be charged the $25 in returned check fees, but no sense telling Patrick that. The 

Friday availability was not satisfactory to Patrick, since by Friday my bank would know the check

was fraudulent. Patrick emailed me right back and asked "Okay but it shouldn't take that long for the funds to be available? Was part of the funds on the check made available after the deposit?" I 

responded by indicating that "The bank suggested I wait till the check totally clears before taking any money from it, just in case it doesn't clear.  As you can understand, I don't want to send any money 

and then have there be a problem.  Shouldn't be a problem, right?  I hope not."
The next day (the day after I had supposedly deposited the check, but with it still sitting on my desk), I got this email from Patrick:

Hello Brian, how are you today? I receive an update to our financier

cleared and you have the funds in your account. The wrap Artist is
that all checks cleared today. Why have to wait since the check is

Any form of delay is going to disrupt the whole Exercise and this is
already waiting to receive the funds from you since you were fixed to
get your vehicle wrapped this week.

be free to report me to the Authorities if anything goes wrong.
why I am giving you my words that the check is good and has cleared
your bank. You do not have to worry because it won't be returned and

little delay has made the Wrap Artist Mr Leonor to be fixed for a
Our financial Institute passed a memorandum to inform us that all
checks cleared today. Why then do you have to wait that long.  Your
different participant.


City:        Fridley
Here is the Information of the Available New Artist who will be coming
to your location now. You will be sending $1350 to her via MONEY GRAM

Name:     Katrina Davison
Address:  3421 Central Ave
State:      MN

and has cleared your bank.
Zip:          55432

She is done already with the car she is wrapping at MN too and waiting
to receive the money from you today.
How soon can you get this done? I give you my words the check is good




My check had cleared? That was interesting, since it still sat on my desk.  I quickly responded asking for Patrick's phone number so that I could call him to discuss, "since my bank hasn't received 

confirmation yet that the check has cleared." After two hours, I sent another email stating that "I just got a call from my bank indicating that the check was returned as a bad account. What is the problem here? Your accountant said it has cleared, and my bank is saying it is a bad check.  Can you explain what the problem might be?"
I fully expected Patrick to stop communicating with me, and scratch me off his list of potential 

"marks" for his scam, but he didn't want to give up so easily.  

Hello Brian, you failed to adhere to our Instructions and that was why

and decided to put a stop payment on the check.
our Finance department felt you were trying to do away with our money

I told you it cleared this morning and I got proof for it but you

Will you be able to make the withdrawal and send the money to the
artist so the funds can be released to you?
You failed to follow the Instructions I gave you. We had no option than to
put a stop payment to the funds and that was why it was returned.


A short time later Patrick sought to try and get something out of me to make it all worth it:
You caused it, can you make a part payment of $500 to the Artist today

so she can come to wrap your vehicle while we fix things up with your



bank today?

I knew that Patrick was suspicious, but I tried to keep him on the hook some more by telling him that my bank said the check could not be resubmitted, and asking if he would be willing to send another 

check.  I promised to follow his instructions perfectly this time.  He responded:
I won't entertain any form of delay from you next time. I can place

you on another payment but what will be my assurance that you will





follow the instructions and send the Artist her money this time around


once you have the funds available again?


We do not send fake checks because all our checks are good and 100 
percent legit. Making the funds available at your bank shows the checkwas good and went through but you were just so adamant.


Do you have another bank where you can deposit the check if i have to



send you a new one?





I confirmed that I had a second account (was he willing to go through all this again?), but he never responded back.  Seems he was finally on to me.
Summary of Lessons:

If you are approached (or respond to an advertisement) with something that seems very good,

remember these things:

1) If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

2) Due some due diligence before depositing any funds in your bank account.  Google the routing 

number, address, and call issuing bank to verify funds.  A scam will always be detected by these 

simple steps.

3) Don't be pressured to rush. Ask your bank how long it will take a check to completely clear, and 

never send any funds before that time.