They are then instructed to pay some other, second company the difference for the needed car wrap materials. The basic premise of these schemes is that after signing up, participants receive a substantially larger check than initially promised. In fact, there have been over 700 such scams reported to the BBB in just the past five years. It came from a fraudster.Ĭar wraps are a common form of the fake check scam. Unfortunately, the offer did not come from Monster Energy, which does not have a car wrap program, a company spokeswoman told the Los Angeles Times last year. The marketing stunt was strange (but perhaps not out of the realm of possibility for an energy drink company – see Red Bull space jump): wrap her car in a Monster banner, thereby “turning it into a mobile billboard.” was excited when someone texted her about an opportunity to make “$800 per week” by advertising Monster Energy. WMAR-2 News Mallory Sofastaii contacted Red Bull, Monster Energy, and Anheuser-Busch, parent company of Budweiser, representatives of the companies responded stating they do not have car wrap reader Wendy L. Since Young fell for the scam, she's received three other checks in the mail and offers to participate in car wrap programs, including one from someone claiming to be a representative of Budweiser. "This one was around Kronik Energy Drink, I found evidence of this being reported in 2014," Barnett said.Īnd yet, the ruse continues. The BBB has received reports about these car wrap scams for years. "Silly me, I thought cashier's check meant the money is real, all you have to do is cash them. By the time the bank discovers it's a fake check, the scammer already has your money. Just because the check cleared, it doesn't mean it's good. If your bank accepts that and you deposit it, any money that you actually spend out of that deposit, you are accountable and responsible for," said Angie Barnett, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving Greater Maryland.īanks are required by law to make deposited funds available quickly. "It is actually a forgery, a fraudulent check. The bank told her there was nothing they could do, and the company stopped responding to Young's calls and texts. I freaked out of course, and I went to my bank and they said insufficient funds," said Young. Well, three or four days later, I checked my bank account and it said minus the amount that was on that check. Young was told to deposit the $1,340 check she'd received, deduct $400, which is payment for her first week, then purchase a post office money order for $950 and send it to the graphic artist that will install the car wrap. "I said, alright, this must be for real, so I did exactly what it told me," Young said. "And I thought, 'Well, let's see, I'm retired, that sounds good to me,'" said Young.Ī few days later, Young received a check and a letter with instructions from a company called Kronik Energy Drink. So, when she received an offer to get paid for putting an ad on her car, she quickly agreed. Gail Young was familiar with car branding and the various companies like Red Bull, Monster Energy, and Rockstar Energy Drink who advertise on their vehicles. BALTIMORE - A Glen Burnie woman hoping to make money in a car wrap program instead lost more than a thousand dollars.
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