The Better Business Bureau of Southwest Missouri is warning of some scams that are active right now.
One of them is believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, and the scammers are targeting residents in the Springfield area. That’s according to Better Business Bureau regional director, Stephanie Garland. She calls it a version of an old car wrap scam with a COVID-19 twist.
"These scammers are contacting people in Springfield via text messages, and they are sending them texts saying that, 'we will pay you $500 a week. All you have to do is go ahead and put Purell Hand Sanitizer as a car wrap on the outside of your car,'" said Garland.
The scammer says they’ll send the person a check if they’ll use part of the money to have a wrap put on their car and then they can keep the rest. But the check eventually bounces.
"We want people to know that it's not a legitimate job opportunity, and what you'd be actually doing with the check is using your own money to go ahead and put Purell Hand Sanitizer on your car and then you wouldn't get paid for it," Garland said.
Garland also wants people to beware of romance scams after a local woman lost $60,000. She sent the money to a man in Mexico who said he loved her. It turns out, he only wanted her money.
The Better Business Bureau is also finding that some older people in southwest Missouri are losing money to sweepstakes and lottery scams. They’re told they’ve won money, but they must pay taxes in order to receive it.
If you have questions about a potential scam, call Garland at (417) 380-5074 or go to bbb.org.
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