Fort Pierce, FL – What might look like an easy side hustle turned into handcuffs for one woman after detectives uncovered her role in a nationwide car wrap scam.
The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office (SLCSO) Criminal Investigations Division – Financial Crimes Unit executed a search warrant Tuesday in the 1900 block of Jaynell Street as part of a multi-jurisdictional probe into counterfeit checks and fraudulent money orders.
Investigators say the scheme followed a familiar pattern: suspects send unsolicited text messages promising to pay people for allowing their cars to be wrapped in advertising. Victims who respond receive counterfeit checks with instructions to deposit them, keep a portion as “payment,” and forward the balance to a so-called installer or marketing agent.