Resurgence of Car Decal Text Scam

Summary

The NJCCIC was notified of the resurgence of a car decal scam in which individuals receive text messages from someone impersonating a well-known company and offering the recipient a weekly payment to have an advertising decal placed on their vehicle. These messages request those interested to provide personally identifiable information and vehicle information. Next, the scammer will likely ask for banking information to send the supposed payments. If this information is provided to the scammers, it can be used in identity theft schemes and to steal monetary funds.

Recommendations

The NJCCIC advises individuals who receive this or similar text message to report it as junk where available and then delete it. Additionally, refrain from responding to potentially malicious SMS text messages, as this will inform the scammers that the phone number they contacted is active and could lead to increased targeting via SMS text messages and phone calls. For more information on car decal and car wrap scams, review the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Alert. SMS text message scams can be reported to the FBI’s IC3 and the NJCCIC.