"The reality is that consumers need to be aware of organizations that want $25, $35, $45 to give you access," he says.

Many times, scammers will simply send the consumer a list of companies that used to or still use consumer drivers for wrapped cars.

"I can't tell you how many countless calls we get from people saying they spent $25 and now they want a free car," Bartkowski says.

Want to protect yourself from scammers? Ask a few questions of your own before you answer any of theirs.

Does the company have a physical address and phone number? A real company will have an address, and they won't be shy about sharing it. Ditto a phone number, and it should be United States-based.

"If there's just an e-mail address and that's it, forget it," Dyson says.

What is the company's reputation? Look them up on Google. Call the state attorney general's office in their home state and yours. Find out who their clients are. Ask for references from past consumer drivers and call them. How regularly do they do this, and what do past drivers have to say about them?

"You're going to want a company that has performed this service before," says Dyson. "There are a few companies that all they do is collect fees and put your name in a database."

Are you dealing with an actual company that has clients? Is this company going to match your car and driving patterns with the advertising needs of their corporate clients, or are they promising to pass your name on to someone who might? There are only a few companies who actually hire consumers for this type of job, and you want to deal directly with them, says Dyson. "Stay away from the middlemen."

What do they require of a driver? A legitimate company won't promise jobs to everyone. They have standards, too. Most basic: They need someone with a clean driving record and a fairly new car.

For instance, FreeCar Media mandates that drivers have no DUIs and no more than one speeding ticket in the past three years, says Livingston. Car types run the gamut, but they are usually 1998 or newer and have to be clean and in good shape. "We want them on the road, not in the shop," he says.

They also look for extroverts. "You don't sign up to have advertising on your vehicle if you're shy," Livingston says.

The bottom line: Don't part with any money, shop the company as carefully as they should be shopping you, and realize that it is a long-shot.

"There is a substantial amount of people out there who would love the opportunity to drive their own car or drive a free car," says Bartkowski. "The reality is the advertising demand is not sufficient to meet the needs of everyone who would want to drive at one time."

Dana Dratch is a freelance writer based in Atlanta.