Takoma Park Police again warn residents of a phishing scam involving fake “Oral-B Pays to Place Ad on your Vehicle” text messages.
“We have received a few calls recently from residents about being contacted by scammers for the “Oral-B” wrap your car scam,” police spokesperson Cathy Plevy said in an emailed community advisory. “Please be aware it’s still circulating and is a scam.”
“If you receive a text like this photo, it’s a scam that aims to steal your information and identity and is making its rounds around the country. Don’t fall for it! The phishing scam, a.k.a. “smishing,” is where cybercriminals send text messages to get you to click a malicious link or provide personal data. Based on the information they obtain, cybercriminals can steal your identity, empty your bank account, or install malware [on] your phone. Ignore the message! Do not click on suspicious links, and don’t provide personal-identifying information.”
The Oral-B text scam is a variation on the car wrap scam that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been tracking since 2016. “The gist of the scam is this: scammers send emails and post to social media and job boards with messages like “GET PAID TO DRIVE,” the FTC’s Ari Lazarus wrote in a December 2020 blog post. “They offer to pay you up to $700 a week if you’ll drive around with your car (or truck or bike) wrapped to advertise a well-known product. But they’re not really affiliated with the brand. They just want your money.”
Scams can be reported to the FTC by visiting reportfraud.ftc.gov or emailing [email protected].
Screenshot courtesy Takoma Park Police. Photo: © Tim / stock.adobe.com
