A part-time job scam aimed at students is making the rounds in Central Florida.
An Orlando woman was hired to reship packages out of her home. She never got paid and consumer investigative reporter Todd Ulrich found she was unknowingly helping crooks move stolen property.
Ayanna White starts college in the fall and needed a part-time job. What looked like an online company, called Store Post, had a great offer.
“For $2,200 a month. All you do is sit at home, get packages at your house, and take it to the post office,” said White.
She responded, took an online test and completed an interview. She got the job, then came the UPS, Fed Ex and U.S. Postal Service deliveries to her front door.
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“So, the packages came, I had to rip it open and take a picture of the product and send it to them,” said White.
The company sent her prepaid shipping labels with new addresses.
White said she unpacked a lot of electronics, even a chainsaw, then had to pack everything in new boxes and ship it out the next day. She did it for a month.
“Have you been paid?” asked Ulrich.
“No,” replied White.
“Have they told you why not?” asked Ulrich.
“No,” she said.
That's why White contacted Action 9. Unknowingly, White became an accomplice to a reshipping scam. The products that were showing up at her door were stolen.
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Postal authorities said crooks use stolen credit cards to buy stuff online that they send to their re-shippers. The re-shippers don't realize the products are being smuggled out of the country.
The unknowing “employee” is never paid and could become a victim again. The crooks may use that person’s information to obtain credit cards to buy the items.
“You should certainly investigate before you apply for the job, before you give personal information, name, address and Social Security number,” said Holly Salmons, Better Business Bureau president.
Action 9 found Store Post contacts were disconnected.
Read more from Action 9's Todd Ulrich
So far, White has lost a paycheck but not her identity.
“I just feel used and scammed,” said White.
The BBB said there are thousands of victims.
Todd Ulrich found only one re-shipper was ever arrested. And that happened after the postal inspector twice warned the re-shipper to stop.
Anyone who thinks they may be a victim of this scam should report these online offers to the Federal Trade Commission.
Contact Action 9's Todd Ulrich
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