A "package handler" job has you reship stolen merchandise from your home
An unsolicited job offer tasks you with receiving packages at home, removing original packaging, and reshipping goods to other addresses. The merchandise is stolen — making you an unknowing fence and potentially criminally liable.
Also known as: reshipping scam, package inspector work-from-home scam, parcel forwarding job fraud, mule reshipping scheme
Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes
- 1 Call your bank or card's fraud line right now. Use the number on the back of your card — not any number from the message or caller. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment and freeze the account.
- 2 If you paid by gift card, wire, or an app (Zelle, Venmo, Cash App): contact that company immediately and report it as fraud. Acting fast sometimes recovers the money.
- 3 Report to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The sooner, the better.
What to do right now
- 1 Do not accept any 'package handler' or 'parcel inspector' job that contacts you unsolicited — it is a reshipping scam
- 2 Stop reshipping immediately if you have already received packages — you may be holding stolen merchandise
- 3 Contact your local law enforcement or the USPS Postal Inspection Service (1-877-876-2455) to report the goods and clear your name
- 4 File an identity theft report with the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov if the company collected your personal documents
- 5 Report to the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov and the FBI's IC3 at https://www.ic3.gov.
Red flags
- ⚠ A company found your résumé and contacts you out of the blue offering a 'package inspector' or 'quality control' remote role
- ⚠ The job says you will receive packages, remove original labels or packaging, and reship them to addresses provided by the 'employer'
- ⚠ You are told to destroy or discard original packaging, receipts, or serial number tags before reshipping
- ⚠ Your supervisor is only reachable by chat or messaging app, never by phone, and the company has no verifiable address
- ⚠ You are promised your first paycheck after 30 days — which never arrives
- ⚠ During 'onboarding,' the company collects a copy of your photo ID, SSN, and bank account details