A variation of the fake check scam from 2013 is still making the rounds as spam email with a check scam. The Red Bull fake check spam was recently reported to The Cardinal in the form of a question to ask if the car advertising offer was legitimate. The Red Bull car advertising scam (not affiliated with Red Bull) works like this: scammers place ads on the internet or send mass emails to attract people looking for extra money. They claim they will pay to shrink-wrap your car with an advertisement of the popular company. All you have to do is drive your car as you normally would with the Red Bull ad on your vehicle.
The offer sounds like an easy way to increase your income? But you might wonder how Red Bull would even know if you are driving with their decal still affixed to your car.
The scammers promise to pay you a certain amount to “rent” the space on your car, but they send you a check for more than that amount. They tell you to deposit the check, take your share of the money, and wire the rest of of the money to the company that will wrap your car. Weeks after you wire the money, which could be thousands of dollars, you find out the deposited check was a fake.
You end up owing the bank the amount of the fake check and any fees associated with the bounced check.
It takes only a few days for your bank to make the money available to you, but it can take weeks for your bank to determine that a check is a fake. You are responsible for any check you deposit: when a check turns out to be a fake, you have to pay the bank back.
These four tips will help you avoid the hassle altogether.
If someone urges you to wire money, it’s probably a scam. Con artists often insist that people wire money because it’s nearly impossible to reverse the transaction and follow the money.
Don’t send money to someone you don’t know, either in cash or through a wire transfer service. Consider using a payment option that provides protection.
Don’t agree to deposit a check from someone you don’t know and then wire money back. No matter how convincing the story, it’s a lie.
Don’t respond to any messages that ask for your personal or financial information, regardless of whether the message comes as an email, a phone call, a text, or an ad.
Still aren’t convinced? Check the “additional email header” information on the email. You might see that the email comes from a gmail, aol or other popular account; not from Red Bull’s official web domain.
Should you get an offer that requires you to deposit a check and wire money back:
Throw it out. Legitimate companies don’t pay you by asking you to wire money to them. If you’re tempted to investigate the offer, ask for a check drawn from a local bank or local branch. Then, visit the bank in person, give them the check, but don’t withdraw any funds until your bank tells you the check is valid.
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