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The newest scam is reshipping fraud. Work-at-home shippers are promised substantial amounts of money—all they have to do is receive, repackage, and then mail merchandise to a foreign address. What the shipper doesn’t know is that the merchandise was paid for with stolen credit cards. In effect, the work-at-home shipper becomes part of a fencing operation by receiving and mailing stolen goods. Reports to date indicate the scam has cost victims thousands of dollars, but as long as the ads appear, people unaware of the fraud continue to respond.
Other work-at-home jobs may involve product assembly, craft work, and multi-level marketing. Some ask victims to front money for prod- ucts or more detailed instructions. Others require that you recruit other people to do the work—which continues the fraud.
Postal Inspectors encourage consumers to closely examine offers before responding. They offer these protection tips:
• Don’t give out personal information to a person or company you don’t know.
• Be suspicious of any offer that doesn’t pay a regular salary or involves an overseas company.
• Check out the company with the Federal Trade Commission, the Better Business Bureau, state Attorney General, or your local consumer protection agency.
“Be smart,” says Chief Inspector Heath. “There is no easy way to wealth. If the offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” Work- at-home scams have cost victims thousands of dollars. Check out all jobs before responding. Legitimate companies provide information in writing.
Common work-at-home scams
If you see a promotion advertising the possibility of making good money from home but the promotion isn’t clear about what kind of
Creating Extra Income