14 DAY TRIAL // Preying on the fact that most people want to make easy money, a group of crooks decided to find victims for laundering illegally obtained funds through email messages.
If the victim accepts the offer, they would receive a cheque promoted as a first payment for advertising services, for a larger amount than discussed in the email exchange.
The crooks then ask the victim to cash the cheque, keep the agreed fee for themselves and pay their experts the rest of the money via wire transfer.
Unfortunately, the cheque is either stolen or fake, and upon discovery, the bank will follow the trace straight to the victim. Since the scammers received their cash, they left no trail and can enjoy the profit without fear of any consequences.
Email presents an enticing advertisement deal
The message from the crooks purports to come from a company that wants to place an advertisement on the potential victim’s car. Basically, money is paid for just driving around, with no means to track the efficiency of the campaign.
According to Hoax-Slayer, which caught the scammy email, the perps say that they would stick vinyl decals on the car, covering any part of the vehicle’s exterior.
No special action is required from the potential victim, as they just have to go about their business as they would do on a normal day.
Powerful social engineering
“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 car alongside them. This program will last for 12 months and the minimum you can participate is 1 month,” reads the message.
Although not many people would accept to have their entire car wrapped in brightly-colored foliage, the promised payment is too sweet to pass on the deal.
As compensation for having to stand the stares from both pedestrians and drivers, $450 / €353 per week is offered, and no fee is required for applying the decal.
The message says that the company's so-called experts will take care of the advert being placed on the vehicle; no one will show up, though.
The email claims to be from a bogus company called “HP Car Advertisement” and the fake cheque is delivered via courier, only if the recipient of the ensnaring email replies with contact information and details about the car.