OKEECHOBEE — Area law enforcement personnel are warning citizens to not get ‘wrapped’ up in a scam that will purportedly pay you for using your vehicle as a mobile billboard.
While the energy drink promotion scam is not new, it has been rather dormant for several years. However, said a local detective, it’s again separating people from their money.
“Some neighboring counties are getting hit hard,” said Detective Lieutenant Brad Stark, from the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO).
The way this scam works is a person is contacted and told they will be paid to put a vinyl wrap on their vehicle that promotes an energy drink. Victims are being told they will receive a check for $2,000 and that they should deposit it in their bank account.
They are then told to keep $500 and to wire the remaining $1,500 to a person who will install the wrap on their vehicle. From that point on they will be paid $500 a week for simply driving around with that wrap on their vehicle.
In the case alluded to by Lt. Stark, the check is written on a company called Magesty Title Services LLC. The address on the check is 4006 McDill Avenue in Tampa.
The check is written through Gulf Shore Bank in Tampa.
It should be noted the names mentioned above and throughout this article are being shown exactly as they were spelled by a complainant.
The intended victim is told of that $1,500, $1,450 is to be sent to a Samuel Ajibola at an address of 4163 Grat Street in Arlington, Texas, 76011. The remaining $50 is to be used for the money gram fee.
After wiring the money, the victim is directed to email Cari Duncan at carin5y@gmail.com to let people know the money has been sent. That email should include the sender’s name and address, the money gram reference number and the exact amount sent.
The victim will then be contacted on when the advertising wrap will be installed on their vehicle.
But, don’t hold your breath while you wait for that call.
According to the complainant, the advertising is referred to as the Robust Car Ad.
The complainant in this case called Magesty Title Services at 813-831-3885 and the company confirmed their checks had been stolen.
Then, according to the United Parcel Service (UPS) tracking number, the checks are coming from Millar Financial located at 39560 Stevenson Place, #111, in Freemont, Calif., 94539.
Again, the names being shown here are just as the complainant spelled them.
And although the complainant in this case is an adult, Lt. Stark said this would be the type of scam that would be tantalizing for a young person — getting paid each week just for driving around
“It’s very intriguing for a kid just out of school,” he said. “If I was a kid, I’d jump right on that.”
And, he added, he would be out several thousand dollars.