The parcel mule scam, also known as the reshipping scam, involves scammers and unsuspecting victims handling goods to other countries. In some ways it is similar to the

money mule A money mule, sometimes called a "smurfer", is a person who transfers money acquired illegally, such as by theft or fraud. Money mules transfer funds in person, through a courier service, or electronically, on behalf of others. Typically, the mule ...

scam. Scammers use fake advertising to hire mules. Items are bought with stolen cards, and since the goods are typically re-sold once shipped, this scam can be viewed as an indirect form of

money laundering Money laundering is the process of illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities (often known as dirty money) such as drug trafficking, sex work, terrorism, corruption, and embezzlement, and converting the funds i ...

Premise

In the parcel mule scam, scammers often attract their victims under the guise of a bogus work-from-home opportunity, although other angles, such as a romance scam may be used to lure victims. Victims begin to receive packages, often with high value contents (such as consumer electronics or designer clothes and shoes) at the address they provided the scammer. The goods in the packages are either fraudulently bought (for example, with a stolen credit card or bank account) or are stolen or counterfeit goods. They are then asked to repackage the item(s) and send them to another address, which may or may not be an international address. Often this new address belongs to another victim or a person who is directly involved in the scam. By routing the packages through many different people, the original scammer(s) become difficult to track down. After the package is sent to another address and proof is sent to the scammer, the victim may be offered monetary compensation. Although the victim may be offered money, this scam often operates in tandem with either a

cheque fraud Cheque fraud or check fraud (American English) refers to a category of criminal acts that involve making the unlawful use of cheques in order to illegally acquire or borrow funds that do not exist within the account balance or account-holder's l ...

scam (where the check or money transfer the victim receives is fraudulent) or an

advance-fee scam An advance-fee scam is a form of fraud and is a common confidence trick. The scam typically involves promising the victim a significant share of a large sum of money, in return for a small up-front payment, which the fraudster claims will be us ...

(if the victim is required to pay up front for costs, such as postage, with the promise of reimbursement). This scam can also operate alongside a

scam, where the victim is transferred money (often from an untraceable source, such as a wire transfer) and told to keep a portion of the money while wiring the rest of the funds to someone else (either another victim or a scammer). In any case where funds are illegally obtained, the victim will also be liable for the full amount of money if the check or wire transfer they are given is reversed. It is also possible that the victim's personal information, such as address or bank account information, may be exposed. Authorities generally advise that anyone who suspects that they are a victim of a parcel mule scam to report it to the authorities. People involved in reshipping scams, whether or not they are a willing accomplice, can potentially be charged with several felonies. Authorities also caution consumers not to accept a job offer that requires them to reship goods, not to accept packages at their address from people they don't know, and if strange packages do arrive at their address, not to reship them to another address.

Example

One famous scam was organized under the "Air Parcel Express" corporate name. Criminals purchased items in the United States and sent them via mules to

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

, where they were then sold. Items included

iPod The iPod is a series of portable media players and multi-purpose mobile devices that were designed and marketed by Apple Inc. from 2001 to 2022. The iPod Classic#1st generation, first version was released on November 10, 2001, about mon ...

PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...

smartphone A smartphone is a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allowing users to access a wide range of applications and services, such as web browsing, email, and social media, as well as multi ...

s, and

laptop A laptop computer or notebook computer, also known as a laptop or notebook, is a small, portable personal computer (PC). Laptops typically have a Clamshell design, clamshell form factor (design), form factor with a flat-panel computer scree ...

References

Illegal occupations Fraud Money laundering Carding (fraud) {{crime-stub