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Albuquerque police are warning jobseekers about a new online scheme that not only scams applicants out of money but could also involve them in a criminal investigation.
Online posts on Craigslist, Monster.com and other websites that offer cash in exchange for shipping items, normally electronics or nutrition products, should raise a red flag, according to a news release from the Albuquerque Police Department.
Here’s how it works: Jobseekers sign a contract and fill out an application with these phony businesses, which are suspected of using the unsuspecting employee to ship merchandise bought using stolen credit cards.
Packages arrive at the victim’s home with pre-paid postage and they are asked to ship the packages overseas, generally to Russia. In exchange, victims are promised around $35 per package, a salary or some other payment every 30 days.
Those payments never arrive, according to police, and victims are then unable to reach their employers. What’s worse for the victim is that, should police try to track the merchandise, address information leads not to the real suspect but to the person caught in the scam.
The public should contact police if they see a suspicious posting and victims should hold on to packages and other documents if they’ve already fallen for the scam, police said, and then file a police report.
— This article appeared on page C2 of the Albuquerque Journal
