CONSUMER FIRST ALERT: Work-from-home reshipping scam

MADISON, Wis. (WBAY) - The Better Business Bureau of Wisconsin is warning against fake job offers to reship packages from your home.

“I thought it was going to be some easy money, part-time job,” a woman from Milwaukee, named Damaris, told us.

Damaris says she was hired to inspect and reship packages. “Two more packages coming to my home right now,” she said as we interviewed her in a Zoom call.

The BBB became aware of the scam in late March. Victims are receiving unsolicited job offers or a lead on the job via email saying Limco Logistics or Limco Post in Madison is hiring packaging inspectors. The email says the job pays $3,700 plus bonuses after the first 30 days to print labels and ship name-brand items, including Apple watches, jewelry, and vacuum cleaners.

Damaris says she hasn’t been paid for her work, and she reported it to the Wisconsin Better Business Bureau.

“Reshipping scams are a common job scam. They sound wonderful and easy. You can work from home making a lot of money. They often involved shipping goods purchased with stolen credit cards,” the BBB’s Lisa Schiller said.

How did the scammers find these victims? “All of the victims are telling me that they were on [job website] Indeed and they put their resume out there,” Schiller said. “They were really desperate for work. Obviously, honestly wanted to believe this was true, and that they were contacted by somebody who wanted to hire them as a shipper.”

“They thought that they were going to get direct deposits, so when the company asked them for W2 paperwork and information, a copy of their driver’s license, their Social Security number, their bank account number for payroll direct deposit purposes, they provided all of that information. And that’s where the Better Business Bureau’s real concern is,” said Schiller.

t -- all things scammers would want for identity and financial theft.

The BBB says the company’s website was newly created on March 6. The Madison address is an empty office. The company’s phone numbers, including a toll-free number, are disconnected. The company makes you purchase materials out-of-pocket, and no one gets paid.

Schiller, who is BBB Wisconsin’s director of investigations, says, “Sharing such sensitive data with unknown actors leaves you wide open for identity theft, which is a huge concern.”

“Anytime anyone supplies such personal information, BBB advises they file reports with the proper authorities and closely monitor all accounts for suspicious activity,” Schiller said.

There is a Limco Logistics in Florida that has no connection to this scheme. It’s a legitimate business which says it’s been victimized by this scam as its name is being used fraudulently.

“What we’ve been seeing through the years are scammers simply hijacking legitimate business names, addresses, elements of their website,” Schiller said. “It’s a form of identity theft, and we’ve been seeing more and more of, and of course we know if something works the scammers will continue to use it.”

In addition to contacting your local police or sheriff’s office, you can file a complaint with the FBI at https://complaint.ic3.gov/ and with U.S. Postal Inspectors at https://ehome.uspis.gov/fcsexternal/default.aspx (when you’re asked for Scheme Category, select “International Fraud”).

Learn more about reshipping scams from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

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