Can I make money advertising on my car, or is it a scam?

Car owners can make extra money advertising companies on their cars, known as “wrapping,” but some solicitations to join such advertising companies are scams. Legitimate advertising companies pay sums that amount to a little extra income per month to drivers to wrap their cars with ads. Scams advertisers may send solicitations to car owners offering lots of money upfront, but people who respond to such solicitations usually never hear from the scammers again.

Scam car wrap advertising companies often launch links to websites strategically to help people searching for ways to make extra money find them in web searches. They also send mass solicitations by email. Such companies often agree to send applicants money orders when they sign up, which the applicants can cash, keep a portion of the money and send the balance back to the company. This amounts to a money order scam, says the Federal Trade Commission, because the money orders are fraudulent. People interested in advertising on their cars should avoid such offers.

Legitimate companies never charge drivers fees to wrap their vehicles with ads. Such companies have detailed applications, plus contact information — including their physical addresses — posted clearly on their websites. The qualifying standards to participate in such programs are spelled out clearly on the companies’ websites and on their applications; consumers can also contact the companies with questions before applying. They also tell applicants exactly how much they can expect to be paid to participate in the program. Legitimate car wrapping companies include Carvertise, Inc. and VehicleCommercial.com.