Reshipping Scam

Reshipping scams use innocent third parties — known as 'reshippers' or 'mules' — to launder merchandise bought with stolen credit cards or stolen account credentials. The fraudster posts a job advertisement promising home-based work as a 'shipping coordinator' or 'quality assurance inspector'. Successful applicants receive parcels at their home address and are instructed to forward them to an overseas destination, often peeling off the original shipping label and attaching a new one.

The recruits believe they are doing legitimate work. In reality, the parcels contain electronics, luxury goods, or gift cards purchased using compromised payment data. By the time the card owner disputes the transaction, the goods are outside the country and largely untraceable. Reshippers bear legal risk: receiving and forwarding stolen goods can be prosecuted as handling stolen property or money laundering, even if the person did not know the goods were stolen.

Job advertisements for reshipping roles often appear on legitimate job boards with professional-looking company websites. Red flags include unusually high pay for simple tasks, requests to use a personal address, and instructions to communicate only via messaging apps.