A One Transportation Reshipping Scam

This company recruits individuals that post their resume online or job details online offering a work-at-home position as a “logistics manager” or, in some cases, “branch specialist” whose responsibilities include sorting parcels sent to your home address, parcel cataloging, shipping mail to clients, and customer support services. After a month’s training employees are to be paid for the work they have done. Respondents to the job offer allege after completing the one month’s training they are not paid and they are unable to get in touch with the company or log in to the database.

These types of offers are commonly referred to as “reshipping” or “parcel mule” scams. Fraudulent perpetrators often contact prospective victims with "job vacancy" ads via spam emails, letters, newspaper ads, Internet chat rooms, job search web sites, or in response to job profiles posted online. Jobs are usually advertised as a "logistics manager” "shipping manager", "shipping director", “delivery employee”, or similar titles. They offer the chance to earn easy money, usually just requiring that you have a computer with web access, a phone, and stipulations that you are available at your home to accept deliveries. Some fraudsters even ask mules to sign official-looking contracts of employment. Once recruited, parcel mules will receive merchandise, often purchased with stolen credit card information, and send it to other people involved in the scam.

The worker may not know that the items were purchased with stolen credit card or banking information. The criminals behind the scheme are aware of this and need the mules to accept the fraudulently acquired items on their behalf. This gets them off the radar of officials that are following the scam. When the authorities follow the trail, they are often led to the worker instead of the true culprit. The worker may even get paid for reshipping the products, but payment is often made from fraudulent accounts which frequently are shut down, or checks sent as payment are often counterfeit.
While these job offers may seem like a dream, you could be opening yourself to a nightmare including being held criminally liable for your part in the scheme. Remember that you will be the easiest part of the chain to track down and supplying any information to the perpetrators may also put you at risk from identity fraud. Payments received will be recovered as they are the proceeds of fraud and you may responsible for paying back the cost of the stolen goods. Furthermore, if you paid any shipping cost out of pocket for postage or supplies with the hopes of being reimbursed, the funds will more than likely never be recovered. If you see an opportunity to make some easy money and the offer seems too good to be true, then it probably is!

Be cautious about any unsolicited offers or opportunities offering you the chance to make easy money, especially offers from people or companies overseas as it is harder for you to find out if they really are who they say they are. Take steps to verify any company which makes you a job offer and check their contact details (address, phone number, email address and web site) are correct. Never give your bank details or personal information to anyone unless you know and trust them.

If you believe you have fallen for a reshipping scam, file a complaint with Business Consumer Alliance.

Check out our BCA Scam Watch for information on another reshipping scam. More information on work-at-home offers is available in the BCA resource guides.