Robert thought he was doing the right thing. He ended up charged with a felony.
It started with a package he never ordered: a dozen new iPhones and eight new iPads.
Later that day, the phone rang. The caller said it was all a mistake and asked Robert to help ship it to the “rightful owner.” Robert agreed. Nice guy move, right?
Wrong. A month later, the FBI was at his door.
The merchandise had been bought with a stolen credit card. Robert’s signature on the delivery, and the fact that he reshipped it, became evidence against him. He’d been pulled into a freight-forwarding scam without ever leaving home.
After a long legal fight, his charges were dropped. But Robert’s story isn’t unique. Plenty of people get set up exactly the same way.
How the scam works
- Crooks buy piles of merchandise with stolen credit cards.
- Instead of shipping it to themselves, they ship it to innocent people like you.
- Then they talk you into forwarding it, so your name is on the trail, not theirs.
How to protect yourself
- Didn’t order it from a manufacturer, distributor or major retailer? Refuse delivery.
- Already signed for it? Do NOT forward it to anyone. No matter how nice or urgent the caller sounds.
- Call the shipping company right away and arrange to send it back.
Doing a stranger a favor shouldn’t cost you a lawyer.
Got a consumer problem? Call 303-MARTINO or get free help at tommartino.com/get-help/