Car wrap scam: is the paid-ad offer real?

Editorially reviewed · Last updated August 11, 2026

Yes — this is a scam. An offer that sends you a check and asks you to pay a supposed installer is a fake-check scam.

Get paid to wrap your car

Drive Ads Team

offers@drive-wrap-payout.com

9:18 AM

You're selected to earn $700 a week by displaying a well-known brand on your car. Deposit the check, keep $200, and pay the installer the remaining $500 by Zelle: drive-wrap-payout.com/install

View the offer

The Email, as received

Other versions you might get: The pitch may arrive by text, email, or a social-media ad. The wording changes, but the check-and-installer request is the tell.

What to do right now

Don't deposit or spend the check. Money showing as available does not mean the check has cleared.
Don't pay the supposed installer. Do not use the check to send money by payment app, wire, money order, or cryptocurrency.
If you already paid, act now. Contact your bank, card issuer, wire company, or payment app and ask whether the transaction can be reversed.
Report the offer. File at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

How to make sure it never bites you

A fake check can look available before the bank discovers it is counterfeit. If money moved, contact the payment company quickly, ask about a reversal, and use the FTC's official reporting route.

Untrappable · Public service advisory

Stop the next one at the source

You got this because your details are on lists that get bought, sold, and leaked. You can't unspill that, but you can make it useless to a scammer. Start with the free steps — they do most of the work.

Freeze your credit — free at all three bureausStops anyone opening a new account in your name. Unfreeze in minutes when you need to.
Report it and get a recovery plan at IdentityTheft.govThe FTC walks you through exactly what to do next, for free.

Optional — if you'd rather it was handled for you

If you'd rather have it watched for you, an identity-protection service monitors your accounts, SSN, and the dark web, warns you the moment something new appears, and helps you recover if someone gets through.

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Frequently asked

Is a $600–$700 car-wrap offer real?

Treat an unsolicited offer in this pattern as a scam. The FTC describes offers in that range that lead to a check deposit and an installer payment.

Why would a car-wrap company send me a check?

A scammer sends a fake check so you can forward your own money to an installer. The check can later be reversed, leaving you responsible for the money you sent.

The check already appears in my account. Can I pay the installer?

No. Available funds are not proof that a check has cleared. A fake check can take weeks to be discovered, so do not spend or forward any of the deposit.

I already paid the installer. What should I do?

Contact your bank, card issuer, wire company, or payment app immediately and ask whether the transaction can be reversed. Then report the scam at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

How do I report a car-wrap scam?

Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If money moved, contact the company or bank that handled the payment right away and ask about a reversal.

Sources

How to avoid getting wrapped up in a car wrap scam— Federal Trade Commission
How To Spot, Avoid, and Report Fake Check Scams— Federal Trade Commission
What To Do if You Were Scammed— Federal Trade Commission

A public service

Help protect someone else

Scams spread because people stay quiet about them. If this could have fooled you, it can fool someone you know — a parent, a friend, the family group chat. Passing it on is the easiest good thing you'll do today. It's safe to forward, and stands on its own as a record for a bank or the police.