Scam Alert

Reshipping Scam

Reshipping fraud can have severe financial consequences and can unwittingly involve individuals in international criminal operations, potentially leading to legal trouble.

The reshipping of packages has emerged as a new addition to a long line of fraudulent home-based businesses. This scheme operates by enticing people with the promise of substantial earnings for receiving, repackaging, and forwarding merchandise originally purchased online and shipped to a different address. What the individuals agreeing to participate in this process often do not realize is that the contents of these packages were obtained using stolen credit card information.

Unknowingly, those working from their homes to reship these packages become unwitting accomplices in a merchandise fencing operation. Records indicate that this scam has caused significant financial losses, amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars for victims. Unfortunately, advertisements seeking individuals for home-based reshipping roles persist, and people continue to respond to them, often unaware of their involvement in perpetuating fraud.

How Home Reshipping Scams Operate:

Opportunities for reshipping jobs can be found everywhere, from newspaper ads to listings on well-known job placement websites like Monster.com. When responding to such ads, individuals are typically asked to provide personal information, including their social security number and date of birth, to the reshipping employer. Subsequently, packages start arriving at their homes, accompanied by instructions on how to repackage and send the merchandise to specified addresses.

Payment for repackaging the merchandise often arrives in the form of a third-party cashier's check, which should raise suspicions since regular employment usually involves paychecks. These cashier's checks tend to exceed the initially agreed-upon amount, and the employer requests that the overpayment be sent back to them electronically, often to an overseas bank account.

However, a significant problem arises when the recipient attempts to cash the check. Prior to clearing, the bank typically discovers that the cashier's check is counterfeit, leaving the individual responsible for the entire amount. To compound matters, the "employer" now possesses the individual's personal information, likely intending to exploit it further in defrauding other unsuspecting individuals who may become new participants in this reshipping scam. Additionally, the individual could face legal consequences since all the merchandise they repackaged and sent abroad was originally purchased using stolen credit card information.

Before committing to any home business opportunity, exercise caution:

If you come across an advertisement for a home-based business opportunity that seems deceptively easy and offers the promise of substantial income (such as repackaging consumer goods), it is essential to thoroughly investigate the business before getting involved. Scammers tend to target individuals with limited incomes and lower levels of education, knowing that financial need can make them vulnerable to these fraudulent job offers.