How to Spot Reshipping Scams
Work-at-home and sweetheart scams are two variations of reshipping or postal forwarding fraud that cost American consumers and businesses millions of dollars every year. Although these fraudulent activities are constantly evolving and taking on different forms, the basic premise remains the same. An unsuspecting person reships merchandise overseas and is stuck with the bill and the possibility of criminal charges.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
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1
Spot work-at-home scams in job ads posted on reputable job board websites. While the title may differ from one ad to the next, the job duties involve receiving and reshipping items through the postal service to a foreign address.
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2
Expect the scammer to offer you the job once you provide your social security number and date of birth on an employment application. The con artist uses this information to apply for several credit cards in your name, purchase merchandise and lure another victim into shipping the items overseas.
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3
Expect to pay the shipping charges with the understanding that the scammer is going to reimburse the fees and offer compensation in the form of a cashier's check. The con artist goes on to write the check for more than what is due you and instructs you to forward the difference to an overseas bank account. Once the check bounces, you are accountable to the bank for the amount of the check.
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4
Suspect anyone you meet on a dating website that lives in another country and eventually gets around to asking you to reship packages to a foreign address. Sweetheart scams start in a chat room, promise romance and then progress to requests for reshipping items. They can end with being arrested and charged with money-laundering.
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5
Understand the packages you receive in the mail contain items the con artist obtained with stolen credit cards. If you comply with the person's request and reship the items, you're breaking the law and helping the criminal smuggle the merchandise out of the United States.
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6
Refuse to communicate with new acquaintances, professionally or personally, who ask you to reship merchandise to other countries. Report the incident to the FBI and postal inspectors (see Resources below).
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