It's perfectly okay if you know what a scam is but don't know what a "car-wrap scam" might be. There are thousands of different scams currently being worked by people whose entire existence is devoted to stealing money and information from unsuspecting victims, and it's almost impossible to keep yourself informed on all of them.

First off, car-wrapping can be defined like this:

Car wrapping, also known as vehicle wrapping, is the process of covering a car's exterior with a vinyl graphic film. This film can change the color, add designs, or offer protection to the original paint. Wraps can be applied to the entire car (full wrap) or just specific areas. Car wrapping is mostly done for advertising purposes, creating a rolling billboard on the roads.

There's nothing evil or nefarious about having your vehicle wrapped. The evil part comes into play when you're tricked into doing it and then scammed out of your money and personal information after you've had it done.

Here's how having a vehicle wrapped can go wrong for you, according to Dennis Horton, director of the Rockford Regional Office of the Better Business Bureau (BBB):

"Scammers know people are looking for side gigs, especially in warmer months. They'll send a text or post an ad claiming a major brand will pay you hundreds of dollars a week to wrap your vehicle in their advertising. It sounds like a great deal...until it's not. These scams often promise quick, easy money but they can leave victims out thousands of dollars."

This scam primarily targets college-age students, but they'll also go after anyone that they think may fall for the scam, including senior citizens.

Let's break down how it works, and what you can do about it.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), you get a text or email, or see an ad on social media offering to pay you to get your car wrapped and drive around. The offers can sound pretty good, like $600-$700 a week to drive around with an ad for some well-known company (usually an energy drink).

If you respond to the text, email, or ad, the scammer will send you a check to deposit. They'll say to use some of that money to pay the "installer" who'll wrap your car with the ad. The scammer will also tell you how to pay the "installer:" by money order, with a payment app, with cryptocurrency, or by wiring the money.

FTC:

This is a scam, start to finish. And that check you just deposited? That was fake -- which means the money you sent is coming out of your own pocket. When you deposit a check, it might "clear" because banks are required to make funds available within a few days. But it can take weeks for a bank to figure out that a check is fake. When they do, they'll reverse the transaction and you'll be stuck repaying the money to the bank while the scammer has the money you sent them.

Check out the story this Wisconsin woman has to tell after being taken by the car-wrapping scam: