Let me introduce you to an internet scam in the hopes that you will not fall for it. I specifically want to go over this one because I have mentioned before that you can make money by having your vehicle wrapped in an advertisement. In fact, my husband and I signed ourselves onto a legitimate vehicle wrapping company several years ago in the hopes that they would choose us.

Which is probably why the initial email I received from the scammer did not raise alarms for me:

From: harriettk@hotmail.com, 10/24/13: “would you like to earn $300.00 weekly for wrapping your vehicle in an Ad?”

Even though the email looked rather informal, I replied, “yes”, thinking that this was someone working for the vehicle wrap company where I had signed up for.

On 10/25/2013, I received the following reply from Harry Peterson, dcspatterson@hotmail.com (I realize this is a lot of copying and pasting to read through; however, I believe this will help others who are searching online to determine whether or not the email they have received is a scam; also, I included grammatical and spelling errors from them):

“Wrap advertising is the marketing practice of completely or partially covering (wrapping) a vehicle in an advertisement or livery, thus turning it into a mobile billboard. This can be achieved by simply painting the vehicle surface, but it is becoming more common today to use large vinyl sheets as decals. These can be removed with relative ease, making it much less expensive to change from one advertisement to another. Vehicles with large, flat surfaces, such as buses and light-rail carriages, are fairly easy to work with, though smaller vehicles with curved surfaces can also be wrapped in this manner. Wrap advertising is available to anybody irrespective of the vehicle you drive. We are currently seeking to employ individuals world wide as we look to expand our market thus, introducing ( Kronik Energy Drink) to every nooks and crannies especially in the USA. How would you like to make money by simply driving your vehicle or banner wrapped for Kronik Energy Drink® How it works?

Here’s the basic premise of the “paid to drive” concept: Kronik Energy Drink® seeks people — regular citizens, professional drivers to go about their normal routine as they usually do – ‘which means there are no OBLIGATIONS whatsoever as to how many miles you have to cover’ only with a big advert for ” Kronik Energy Drink®” plastered on your vehicle. The ads are typically vinyl decals, also known as “auto wraps,”that almost seem to be painted on the vehicle, and which will cover any portion of your vehicle’s exterior surface. Don’t Have a vehicle?

If you don’t have a vehicle, you can also participate if you have a bike or scooter. What does the company get out of this type of ad strategy?

Lots of exposure and awareness. The auto wraps tend to be colorful, eye-catching and attract lots of attention. Plus, it’s a form of advertising with a captive audience,meaning people who are stuck in traffic can’t avoid seeing the wrapped vehicle alongside them. This program will last for 3 months and the minimum you can participate is a month. What is the Contract Duration?

Once the wrap has been installed, minimum term is 4 weeks and maximum is 12 weeks. Would the wrap/decal damage the paint of my vehicle?

The decal doesn’t damage the paint of the vehicle and will be removed by our representative once the contract expires. We will be responsible for installation and removal of the wrap. You will be compensated with $300.00 per week which is essentially a “rental”payment for letting our company use the exterior space(excludes your windows and windscreens) on your vehicle and no fee is required from you. Kronik Energy Drink® shall provide experts that would handle the advert placing on your vehicle and also the removal. You will receive an upfront payment of $300.00 check via courier service for accepting to carry this advert on your vehicle… Best Regards,

Harry Petterson

Hiring Manager

Kronik Energy Drink® Ph:+1 702-605-3372

Fax: +1 702-537-5695”

At this point, I did not pick up on the fact that Harry Peterson had signed his email with two “t’s” in his name. But I did smell a rat. In the email response I received on 10/26/2013, I knew something was wrong for sure:

“1) The first payment will come as a check in the mail.It will include both the installation and removal fee and also the $300.00 accrued to you. You are to cash the check payment as soon as you receive it for the decal wrapping of your vehicle and also deduct $300.00 accrued to you as your up-front payment. However, the rest of the funds would be paid to the Graphic artist that will install the decal on your vehicle. Method of payment will be related to you as soon as you receive the check payment. Nevertheless, it is paramount for you to confirm the acceptance and understanding of this email. Please note that the graphic artist payment covers the installation and removal of the wrap on your vehicle. The installation and removal will be done at your address and it will only take up to 2-3hrs. Subsequent payment of $300.00 accrued to you will come in the mail every Tuesday of the week.”

I mean, why would I have to pay the graphics person and not them? A quick internet search resulted in finding the following forum where this very scam was unraveled.

How this Scam Works

Basically, the check I was to receive in the mail (and actually did, to the tune of $2,450) came with instructions to cash it. I was to take out $300 for myself, and then wire the remaining $2,150 to a specific address and person who would then design the vinyl advertising wrap for my car.

In fact, that is what Harry asked me to do on 12/5/2013:

“Report has it that the check payment for the decal wrapping of your vehicle will be delivered to your address via USPS today. Kindly confirm via usps.com with the tracking number 9470101699320004911554. kindly proceed to deposit the check into your bank account as soon as you receive it today and funds will be available for withdrawal 24hrs after the check has been deposited. I will be waiting for a confirmation message immediately the check is deposited. As soon as the cash is cleared you are to deduct $300.00 which is accrued to you and forward the balance to the graphic artist that will be wrapping the decal on your vehicle via WESTERN UNION transfer. The same graphic artist will also be responsible for removing the decal when the program is completed.”

The person I was to send it to was Brigido B Bellhouse, Laverne CA, 91750.

Checks take several days to clear a bank, and the scammers frantically attempted to contact me after the check was sent to my house to ensure that I would wire this money. If I had not already known it was a scam, then I would have been out to the tune of $2,150.

When I asked Harry Petterson why I would have to pay the graphics person, he responded:

“Payments are issued to our respective applicants through our corporate sponsor. However the payment covers both the installation fee, removal fee and the weekly $300.00 accrued to you.”

Right.

Clues that Set Off My Gut Instinct

In case you ever find yourself with an email offer that looks too good to be true, check out these clues that set my own gut instinct off:

Clue #1 : The name changed from Harry Peterson to Harry Petterson at some point in the email transactions.

: The name changed from Harry Peterson to Harry Petterson at some point in the email transactions. Clue #2 : It made no sense that the company was sending money through me to pay the decal wrapping person.

: It made no sense that the company was sending money through me to pay the decal wrapping person. Clue #3# : The company did not already have my address and information (which they should have had if they were one of the companies where I registered).

: The company did not already have my address and information (which they should have had if they were one of the companies where I registered). Clue #4 : The emails were riddled with grammatical mistakes, such as lowercase letters at the beginning of sentences and missed spacing.

: The emails were riddled with grammatical mistakes, such as lowercase letters at the beginning of sentences and missed spacing. Clue #5 : They did not care that my vehicle was old, dirty, and that I was self-employed (i.e. I hardly drive at all). Big red flag.

: They did not care that my vehicle was old, dirty, and that I was self-employed (i.e. I hardly drive at all). Big red flag. Clue #6: My gut did not feel easy about this transaction. Gut instinct should not be discounted!

Have you received any email scams lately? Care to share to alert the rest of us?

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