Scam Squad: FTC warns of car wrap scams

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - If you’re trying to make some extra cash in the new year, you’ll want to do your research.

Car wrap scams are on the rise and the FTC has issued a warning.

A simple search online for a job to make a few extra bucks caused nearly 50 Ohioans to lose out on cash last year. It’s because they fell for something called a car wrap scam.

“It’s easy money," said Fil de Banate with the Cleveland FTC.

Here’s how it works; You find a gig online saying you’ll get paid thousands of dollars to have your car wrapped with graphics.

You become a moving advertisement for a company and get paid by just driving around.

The scammers send you money in advance from an account that doesn’t have a balance. When you deposit the funds, you get stuck footing the whole bill.

The scammers generally target college students, but 19 News investigator Shannon Houser showed a text she received this week.

It said: “would you be interested wrapping company ads over your vehicle for 550 bucks weekly funds.”

Experts said, if you get a text like this, ignore it.

“If it looks too easy, it’s probably not something you want to get into," de Banate said.

You can file a consumer complaint with the FTC by clicking on this link.

If you have been the victim of a scam, call the Cuyahoga County Scam Squad at 216-443-SCAM.

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