New Scam to Watch For – The Unnamed Car Detailing Company

HAGERSTOWN, MD News (1/11/2023) – A new scam is hitting local social media groups, in which someone claiming to have a car detailing business solicits for customers with a special promotion.

Nationwide the posts are typically the exact same or similar in content – before and after pictures of car detailing and the following ad copy:

Hello neighbors!

Hope everyone is doing good. I own a car Detailing business and local to the neighborhood. No kind of upfront charge I have well experience technicians. If anyone would like to support the local that would be really appreciated I’ll make sure you that you guys will be happy with my work.

The post sometimes includes a cell number, but typically just requests people to message the original poster directly.

The first immediate giveaway that this is a scam is the lack of including the business name. Legitimate business owners WANT their business name out there, they want to be known. They want people to visit their website or social media pages. Keeping the business information secret is not what legitimate businesses do.

Often if they are questioned enough, they’ll provide a very generic business name. This is very similar to the duct cleaning scams previously seen on Facebook.

These scammers claim no upfront payment is required, but will then typically request a “completely refundable deposit” or ask for information which can be used in identity theft. If by some chance the scammer does actually deliver and provide some level of service, it will usually be subpar and typically be well above the original quoted price.

If you believe you’ve been scammed by one of these fake business posts, please reach out to your local state’s attorney general for guidance.