14 DAY TRIAL // Cybercriminals are back at spreading emails promising easy money by promoting the energy drink Red Bull via a vinyl wrap on the car.
The deal may seem valid, but there is a money laundering scheme behind it, which could land the victim in deep trouble with law enforcement.
Small effort, big pay
The message looks like a legitimate opportunity to earn some money without putting too much effort into it, since the “company” takes care of all the details and all the “partner” has to do is drive the car and get paid.
The email delivered to the potential victim details the aspects of the “business” and promises weekly remuneration of $600 / €520.
“RED BULL seeks people -- regular citizens, professional drivers to go about their normal routine as they usually do, only with a big advert for ‘RED BULL’ plastered on your car. 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 car's exterior surface,” explains the message caught by Hoax Slayer.
The end goal for the company is to increase exposure because people’s attention would be attracted by the advertisement on the car. It is further mentioned that the program lasts for three months and the minimum period accepted is one month, which would automatically translate into earnings of at least $2,400 / €2,100.
Deal backfires, fraud activity leads to the victim
However, the scheme is far from being this innocent and attractive. The first payment comes as a check for a much larger sum than the one initially agreed upon, and the victim is instructed to subtract what he is owed and transfer the rest to someone via wire transfer.
The check turns out to be forged or stolen and the victim will take the fall, as all evidence of the fraud will point to them.
In other cases, the victim is asked for the personal bank account for making the payments. The scheme follows the same pattern, with more money being transferred initially and the request to keep the agreed funds and wire the rest to a third party.
This time, though, the money comes from fraudulent activity resulting from banking malware infections or online scams. Again, the end of the money trail stops at the victim and the cybercriminals make off with the illegal proceedings.