Package Reshipping Scams

[PUBLISHED 6/20/19; UPDATED BELOW 6/24/20 with new FAKE businesses.] Beginning in the middle of May, 2019 through early June, we heard from several TDS readers who were contacted by email and text messages to ask if they were interested to apply for jobs as “Reshipping Agents,” “Package Managers,” “Quality Agent,” “Regional Superior of Procurement,” “Quality Control Inspector,” “Warehouse Coordinator,” and “Package Procurement Specialist.” None of these requests asked for a video chat interview, meeting in person, and MOST don’t even ask for a phone conversation. NONE of these supposed employers asked for and checked references! It’s because they don’t need any. YOU are the one being scammed! One woman even told us that she had received a text message from several different phone numbers from a person who didn’t identify him/herself by name saying that he/she is looking for a part-time assistant to receive mail and packages that are “books and papers for my research.” Also the text stated that he or she is located in Australia and will pay up to $500 per week for several months. The text went on to say that he or she will be able to meet in person next year in April after coming to the U.S. At the bottom of this very long text message was a form asking for her personal information so the person texting can send money to her. There was no name given to the woman, though there was a link to a website. (We were not given the link by the TDS reader.)

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READ OUR MOST UPDATED ARTICLES ABOUT THESE SCAMS:
https://www.thedailyscam.com/package-reshipping-scams-are-like-whac-a-mole/
https://www.thedailyscam.com/qyshippers-package-reshipping-scam/
https://www.thedailyscam.com/quality-control-inspector-shipping-scams/

These are the biggest RED FLAG WARNING SIGNS THAT THE SHIPPING COMPANY THAT HAS CONTACTED YOU FOR HIRE IS A SCAM:

The company’s interview process is only via the phone or text. They refuse to interview you via a video chat or in person. Don’t be fooled by long, legal “employment agreements” or fancy animated videos explaining what your job will be! These criminals often use both!
The job is ONLY “work from home” or work from home while the new offices are being built.
You are sent packages to inspect but all you do is receive them from one location/source, repackage and reship them to another location. And you report your work through a web portal, never by video chat.
You are told that your first paycheck will arrive after 2 – 4 weeks of work. It doesn’t!
Visit the company’s website. Can you find it or the business name listed on the Better Business Bureau as an official company RECOGNIZED by the BBB?
Do you see it listed on TrustPilot.com or other TRUSTED websites with positive reviews? Are other people writing positive reviews about this company? (Not just a few people, MANY people!)
How long does the company say they have been in business? Compare this number with the date on which they registered their domain name using a WHOIS tool such as: Whois.sc, DomainBigData.com or Whois.net. For example, a company says they’ve been doing business for 11 years but their domain was registered 2 months ago? They are a scam!

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We suspect that each of these first six emails, and the text described above, are package reshipping scams in which a victim is hired and paid to receive packages and then reship them out of the country. The scam here is that the items sent to the “reshipper” person are stolen or purchased with stolen credit card information. Therefore, the victim is being tricked into shipping stolen goods, which can result in severe legal consequences! This scam is described in this thread on Indeed.com…

https://www.indeed.com/forum/gen/Career-Advice/Explicit-Logistic-Company-Scam/t387475

It is also described in this article from Krebs on Security: https://krebsonsecurity.com/tag/reshipping-scams/

Below are seven emails received by the people who contacted us between May 13 and June 10, 2019 with suspicious job offers. Let’s dig into each of them and look for red flags…

EMAIL #1:
From: Audrey Perry <indeplus@hanmail.net>
Date: Mon, May 13, 2019 at 4:00 PM

We would like to tell you more about our position.

Business Title: Reshipping agent.
Payment: is up to $20/hour.
This is home half-time \ full time position.

We can give you a good compensation commensurate with experience.
Also you will have excellent and wide-ranging package of benefits including a 401(k) plan, stock purchase pack, etc.

DAILY TASKS ARE:
– Assembles orders and prepares goods for forwarding;
– Maintains all delivery information;
– Receives and unpacks items and materials;
– Completes shipping and receiving reports.

To start cooperation with us you:
– Must have a High School diploma;
– Must be detailed oriented, well organized, be able to write and read English;
– Must have computer knowledge, must be proficient in Microsoft Office;
– Must be able to understand various material measuring systems;
– Be able to quick learn, understand, and follow our policies and procedures;
– You must be a U.S. Person Permanent Resident or U.S. Citizen

To apply or to get more details, please reply to us back.
Thank you in advance,
Audrey Perry.

Red flags
#1: “Audrey” doesn’t identify a company or offer a phone number or website of a business.
#2 “Audrey” uses Hanmail.net, a Korean email service to reach out to the targeted victim.
#3: It clearly states that they are looking for a “reshipping agent!” Go ship your own damn boxes!

EMAIL #2:
From: Nell Strickland <tsukasa@tkyasuda.com>
Date: Fri, May 17, 2019 at 3:09 PM

Job Title: Quality Agent.
Company: Amazon Corporate LLC.
Area of Interest: Quality Inspection Services.
Salary: $65000 per annum.

Availability: May 20 – May 31 2019.
Type: Permanent Position.
Location: USA/All states.
Traveling Involved: None.

Job Summary:
If you’re looking for a chance to be a part of a progressive, dynamic and fast-paced work environment and are excited by the opportunity to build something new, we need exceptionally customer-focused, data driven and inventive Quality Controllers.

Responsibilities:
You will accept the goods that will be delivered right to your home, inspect them for compliance with customers’ orders, ensure the products meet clients’ specifications and provide us with all detailed information on the received products.
We will verify the seller and provide you with the data for further shipment transportation. Then you will need to ship out the packages to the specified Amazon locations.
It is a great chance for you to become a member of a large team of professionals and to stop the upsurge of dishonest sellers.

Required Skills Include:
Must focus on customers’ expectations, prevent problems, and strive for continuous improvement resulting in improved results for themselves and customers.
Self-motivated, and possess a high degree of curiosity and desire to learn new things.
Good computer skills.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Benefits:
We offer a number of advantages to choose from: Life insurance, 401K, dental, medical, vision, supplemental insurance.

What Can We Offer You?
This work provides you with the option to tailor your day to your wishes and earn money.
You will work right in your house not more than 1-3 hours daily.
You don’t need to drive to office.
There is no strict working hours.

If you find the position interesting, please send your resume to this e-mail.
Sincerely,
Nell Strickland.

Red flags
#1: “Nell Strickland” used an email address of a domain that was registered and is hosted in Japan (tkyasuda[.]com) and yet claims that this is a job offered by Amazon Corporate LLC. The email should have come from an Amazon.com address!
#2: The email contains several grammatical errors and awkward English
#3: Besides an email address that clearly isn’t Amazon, no other contact information is given.

EMAIL #3:
From: Sheila Wilkerson <dbrudwl0589@hanmail.net>
Date: Wed, May 29, 2019 at 3:27 PM

We would like to let you know more about our job opportunity.

Job Title: Reshipping agent.
Compensation rate: is up to $20/hour.
This is a home based part time \ full time position.

We provide you with a good salary commensurate with skills.
Also you will have outstanding and comprehensive package of benefits including a 401(k) plan, stock purchase pack, etc.

DUTIES:
– Assembles items and prepares items for shipment;
– Records all shipment information, including weight, charges and space availability;
– Collects and unpacks materials and supplies;
– Completes shipping and receiving reports.

To get this opportunity you:
– Have a High School certificate;
– Must be detailed oriented, well organized, be able to write and read English;
– Must have PC skills, be proficient in MS Office;
– Be able to understand various material measuring systems;
– Have an ability to quick learn, understand, and must follow our policies and procedures;
– Must be a U.S. individual Permanent Resident or U.S. Citizen

To take or to ask for more detailed information, please answer to us back.
Thank you in advance,
Sheila Wilkerson.

Red flags
#1: “Sheila” also doesn’t identify any company or offer a phone number or website of a business.
#2 “Sheila” also uses Hanmail.net, a Korean email service to reach out to the targeted victim.
#3: Sheila’s email is nearly identical to email #1 from Audrey, sent days earlier to a different person!

EMAIL #4:
From: Nick Hernandez <walltemptilmoi1980@yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, Jun 2, 2019 at 9:54 PM
Subject: Re: Move at the opportunity here

We have an exciting career opportunity in the open job of Package Manager in our growing logistics organization. We offer a very generous base compensation package with other benefits. We will also instruct you so that you be effective in your new position. We received your contact information from CareerBuilder and thought with your expertise, you’d be a critical addition to our staff. Simply send an answer to this email and someone from our company will get back to you. Pay no mind to this email if not interested.
Vacancy Title: Package Manager
Salary: $800/week

That working position is destined exclusively for home-birds. If you are can staying at house from 9am through 5pm, abovementioned position must be offering you the best opportunity to earn money.You are going to carry on to deal with bundles.
You are going to must to get batches, repack ones & send them to the final obtainer. That job is hassle free and it is completely suited to housewives, older adults and alike who otherwise operate inside their housing or are at habitation within sun-up hours.There must be no heavyweight consignment. Majority consignment comprise of flivvers & dresses.

Entire work-related expenses are on us.
To do actions for our community you will have a Internet ready computer, a cellular phone and ability to print required documents. The sum of dollars you will be obtaining depends on the quantum of bundles you are going to be processing .During the test time people which are employed by us receive up to $800/week.

For more information, please contact us via email.P.S. To qualify, all you must to do is to stay at home from 9am and 5pm.
If you can’t fulfill this condition, this post is not for you.

Red flags
#1: “Nick” also doesn’t identify any company or offer a phone number or website of a business, though he says he represents a “growing logistics organization.”
#2 “Nick” uses a Yahoo email account instead of a business email. And why would any professional representing a company use an email address that begins with “walltemptilmoi1980?”
#3 Nick’s email is filled with so many errors that it is clear that English is not his first language, nor does he have an education higher than Grade 5.

Footnote: Nick says that “majority of consignment comprise of flivvers & dresses.” This ought to be interesting because the only definition we can find for “flivvers” is an old 1930’s slang term for dilapidated cars! Have fun shipping those!

EMAIL #5:
From: Tommy Pinckney <madernitchbank1971@yahoo.com>
Date: June 3, 2019 at 12:55:44 AM EDT
Subject: Re: Young and fresh-minded manager is in need

Hello, We have an exciting career chance in the available job of Package Manager in our expanding logistics organization. We offer a very generous starting compensation package with other benefits.

We will also train you so that you be effective in your new job.

We got your contact information from CareerBuilder and believe with your background, you’d be a valuable inclusion to our team. Simply send an answer to this number and a member of our HR department will reach out to you. Pay no mind to this email if you are not attracted by the prospect.

Vacancy Title: Package Manager
Salary: $800/week
The stated assignment is destined only to home-birds.
If you are can continuously at dwelling from 9am through 5pm, said appointment should be designed especially for you.You are going to must to proceed with consignment.
You shall carry on to accept bundles, repack them and forward them to the end addressee. This assignment is stress free & it is completely designed to coach-potatoes, elderly & others which either do actions at home or are at home during sun-time hours.
There must be no heavy consignment. Most shipment contain trifles and apparel.

Entire employment-related expenses are on us.
To operate for ours company you will possess a Internet ready computer, a cellular phone and a printer to print necessary documents. The output of cash you will be obtaining rely upon on the quantity of packages you will be handling .During the trial phase people which are employed by us make up to $800/week.

If you are interested, please contact us via email.P.S. To be able to work, all you must to do is to remain in between 9am and 5pm. You must meet this condition or, this employment is not for you.

Red flags
#1: “Tommy” also doesn’t identify any company or offer a phone number or website of any business, though he says he represents an “expanding logistics organization.”
#2 “Tommy” uses a Yahoo email account instead of a business email. And why would any professional representing a company use an email address that begins with “madernitchbank1971?”
#3 In case you hadn’t noticed, “Tommy’s” email is nearly identical to “Nick’s” email (Email #4)
#4 Once again, the English grammar, etc. is horrific in this email.

EMAIL #6:
From: <rahmanatiqur589@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Jun 10, 2019 at 6:55 PM
Subject: rahmanatiqur589 FreshJob /41.492840,.75

Hello
We returning back regarding request on a Career_Builder for career opportunity of Regional Superior of Procurement. We have received many applications for this offer and the screening process is still being in progress. The search committee is looking through your documentation and we are more than glad to notify that you have been selected for an interview.

Pay rate you will earn starts from $89,700.00 up to $145,700.00 a year. Also you will get flexible schedule, and benefits: standard company health, life and dental coverage.

Main duties are:
– Conduct negotiations with vendors
– Supervise a team of managers and provide direction to them
– Prepare contract compliance and optimizes contractual obligations
– Develop long-term strategic plans
– Manage office supply inventory and provide administrative support as
required

Needed conditions are:
– Minimum 30 years old or older
– Be a resident of the United States or have work permit
– Decision making skills
– Be great time manager

To have more details about the position, please write the following and write us reresby.fredek@yahoo.com
– Full name:
– Your Cell Number:

Thank you and hope to hear from you soon!

Red flags
#1: Not only did the sender of this email not identify any company or offer a phone number or business website, but he or she didn’t even identify him/herself!
#2 This anonymous sender used a Gmail account instead of a business email account to contact the intended target and then asked the recipient to contact them via a different generic Yahoo account. This is a common tactic used by fraudsters.
#3 A search committee?? You’re joking, right? And an annual salary of $89,700 up to $145,700?!
#4 Once again, the English grammar, etc. is horrific in this email.
This particular email for a “Regional Superior of Procurement” actually looks more like it will be an advance-check scam than a package re-shipping scam.

EMAIL #7 [Added 6-24-20]
Two people contacted us on June 24 to say they each received an email inviting each of them to apply for as a Package Handler. One email came from Natali J Cheek <Natali.Jeanine.Cheek@workmail.com> and the other was from Breana A Mayer <Breana.Alexia.Mayer@workmail.com>. It should be noted that “workmail.com” is a free generic email domain. Both of these bogus emails were otherwise identical:

From: Breana A Mayer <Breana.Alexia.Mayer@workmail.com>
Date: Wed, Jun 24, 2020 at 1:16 PM
Subject: Dear [NAME REDACTED], LE-4437634476
To: <EMAIL REDACTED>

Greetings [NAME REDACTED],

Our team’s HR manager considered you as suitable applicant for the open position after reviewing your data indicated on jobboard.
We would like you to try a position of Package Handler.
The payment rate is up to $2500 per month.
Job type: Half-time.

Position Description:
– Accepting and sending mail;
– Submitting reports daily;
– Documenting data about mail;
– Must be aged 21 or older;
– Must be a Legal USA Lawful Permanent Resident;
– Being Enthusiastic and helpful;
– Being Reliable;
– Ready for everyday contact, email and phone communication;
– Knowledge of Adobe Acrobat Reader and Microsoft Office.
Requisition number: ID:2419-04;

If you find this job interesting we are looking for your answer to our email.
Thank you kindly for sparing your valuable time to read this offer.
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A SPECIAL CASE…EMAIL #8: TradexPlusUSA.com

SPECIAL NOTE: TDS has now heard from multiple people who were hired by “Tradex Plus Corp.” All have told us that after spending a month to re-ship many packages, the company disappears on the day that their first pay check is expected! NO ONE GETS PAID to ship these likely illegal stolen goods! BEWARE TRADEX PLUS!

SPECIAL NOTE 2: On February 6, 2020 TDS was contacted by someone who works in IT security to inform us that the people who created the bogus domain Tradexplususa.com very likely created another set of fake businesses in late 2018 and 2019. This came to his attention, he said, because a US regulatory agency was getting a lot of complaints about the domain holdenparcel[.]com. (There is also a real Holden LLC that is not connected to the bogus website at holdenparcel.com.) According to the person who notified us, before the Holden Parcel website was taken down, it was found to contain nearly all of the same names found on the Tradex Plus USA website.

This IT security specialist sent us the new list of domains identified on VirusTotal.com as malicious/risky. All of these domains are likely hosted on two servers in Belize City, Belize in Central America, according to IPLocation.net. These domains are very likely used in reshipping scams and are listed here along with their registration dates:

holdenparcel[.]com (*Registered Sept. 9, 2019)
careers-site[.]com (*Registered Dec. 11, 2019)
employment-portal[.]net (*Registered May 3, 2018 in Saint Kitts and Nevis)
submit-application[.]net (*Registered May 3, 2018 in Saint Kitts and Nevis)
home-based-vacancy[.]com (*Registered May 3, 2018 in Saint Kitts and Nevis)
career-portal[.]net (*Registered June 28, 2019 in Saint Kitts and Nevis)
*According to WHOIS.sc

Is any reshipping job legitimate in which mystery people with whom you only communicate over email send you packages to your home, ask you to re-box them and then ship them somewhere else? —often overseas. Here’s an email that sounds intelligent, reasonably well written, descriptive and authentic. The sender, Maria Garcia, claims to represent a company called Tradex Plus Corporation. She sent her email from “hr” at TradexPlusUSA[.]com. And “Maria Garcia” from HR even offers a phone number: 407-627-1545! And yet we believe that this email, and/or the company it claims to represent, could be fraudulent. Read over Ms. Garcia’s email and then we’ll break it down for you. See if you can spot any red flags or ask yourself what you can verify and how…

From: Tradex Plus <hr@tradexplususa.com>

Date: Thu, Jun 6, 2019, 2:42 PM

Subject: Shipping Agent position, $3,500 per month

*Job offer: Shipping Agent *

Dear [NAME REDACTED],

Thank you for your interest in our Shipping Agent position. Below, you will find a job description for the position and an explanation of the hiring process.

Our company helps solve some of the problems that shoppers around the world frequently face when trying to buy products from the US. We do this using innovative cloud technology to provide real-world logistical solutions. Our clients include businesses, private individuals, and anyone who wants to purchase items from US-based websites, which often do not offer an international shipping option or charge high shipping rates.

As an international shipping intermediary, we give our clients real US addresses, which they can use for shopping at US-based retail websites. These items are then shipped to one of our professional shipping agents who consolidate and repack the purchases before sending them on to the clients final destination. Not only do our clients save on international shipping costs, our services make it possible to purchase from US retailers they may not have access to otherwise.

Our shipping agents are located around the United States and make our services possible. They provide our clients with a variety of US addresses all around the country. This model also reduces our warehousing costs.

In return, our shipping agents have the ease and flexibility of working from their favorite location, which can fit easily into any schedule or lifestyle.

*How the Process Works: *

– The client makes their purchase from their preferred US retailer online. This typically includes items like clothing, electronics, or sports equipment.

– When making the purchase, the client gives the designated US shipping address we have given them.

– Items are shipped to that agent, who received the delivery, inventories it, then uploads photos into our online portal for the client to verify.

– If there is more than one purchase going to one client, the shipping agent will consolidate all the purchases into one easy package, saving the client shipping costs.

– The agent then attaches a prepaid shipping label and ships out the new package to the clients preferred international address.

*Minimum Requirements Needed to Become a Shipping Agent *

– A United States address. This location can be either a business or a private residence, but you must be available to receive packages at the location between 10am-6pm, Monday to Friday.

– Occasionally a job will require you to be able to pick up a product from a store such as Best Buy or Apple.

– Reliable transportation is required. Packages can sometimes be quite large.

– Agents must be physically capable of lifting packages up to 30 lbs.

– A reliable internet connection as well as a computer and printer are required.

– An eye for detail is crucial when checking in packages and consolidating purchases.

– We prefer independent individuals who are ambitious and self-motivated. We do not micro-manage our agents.

– Integrity is key to our business, as our clients are trusting us with their purchases. Our business is built on that trust, and honesty is a must.

*What An Agent Does:*

– Stays available at the designated address during business hours, and check-in regularly to keep track of expected deliveries.

– Stays available and in regular contact with the supervisor.

– Receives up to five deliveries a day.

– When each package arrives, inventories the contents and uploads photos of the items to our online portal.

– Consolidates all possible deliveries for each client into one package. This can require holding onto items for short amounts of time.

– Delivers packages to one of our international shipping partners, which may be FedEx, USPS, or UPS.

*Compensation*

Shipping agents receive a salary of $3,500 per month. Payment is made through either direct deposit into an eligible US bank or Paypal account.

The first payment will be made after your first full month of work, with payments coming twice per month after that.

Operating costs such as gas and packaging materials will be compensated as well as your internet bill.

Proper tax forms will be provided.

If you are interested in applying to become a shipping agent, complete the online application using the following link below:

https: // docs.google.com/ document/d/1kxCv0lhxtDdTdajw58uR4RZL98Sr3nsH2W3sHQ5EGXs/

[LINK MODIFIED FOR SAFETY REASONS]

We will let you know within a week if we find your candidacy to be suitable for this position.

If you have questions, please either reply to this email or call 407-627-1545.

*—-Maria Garcia,HR departmentTradex Plus Corp. *

You received this email because you expressed interest in one of our open vacancies.

Unsubscribe

Our address: 6635 W Commercial Blvd Ste 207, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33319 Phone: (800) 461-3802

Maria Garcia’s email truly does sound legitimate, and yet it raises LOTS of questions not the least of which is why was it randomly sent to our TDS reader who didn’t ask about this job or contact Ms. Garcia, according to the person who gave us this information. But let’s move beyond that point…

Tradex Plus USA has a website! Maria’s email came from TradexPlusUSA.com. We visited that site and it is very clear that this is a business centered on reshipping packages anywhere in the world. They also make it clear that they wish to hire “Forwarding Agents.” But we found some things that concern us about their website…

WEBSITE REGISTRATION
A WHOIS look up of Tradexplususa.com shows that it was registered just 4 months ago, on February 8 through a domain name service, not the Tradex company. In other words, there is no information here about the person or business behind this registration. Certainly not all, but most legitimate businesses will register their website in their name.

PRESS RELEASES
At the bottom of the main web page are listed “press releases” that can be found on 4 HIGHLY recognizable and trustworthy news sites: Mashable, Business Insider, VentureBeat, and Forbes. However, mousing-over each of these links, on June 18, 2019 shows that the links simply point back to TradexPlusUSA.com. The links don’t point to articles about Tradex Plus on these news websites. We used Google’s “site” command (e.g. site:mashable.com “tradex plus”) to search each of these news websites for ANY mention of “Tradex Plus” and Google found nothing. These press releases appear to be nothing more than eye candy!

TRADEX PLUS DIRECTORS
Tradex Plus USA has a Company page and we were thrilled to find a listing called “Who’s behind Tradex Plus” at the bottom of the page. They report that six men are responsible for creating and running this international business…

This was an impressive group of individuals that included the President/Director, Vice-President/Director, Chief Technical Officer, Head of Marketing, Chief Financial Officer and a Chief Information Officer. No doubt they all developed their skills through impressive careers that included other businesses. So we searched for all of them on LinkedIn, expecting to learn about their impressive backgrounds. Guess what we found? NOTHING! Not a single one of these business men had a LinkedIn profile listing Tradex Plus (We found a Photographer in New Mexico with the same name as one of the six and a Financial Specialist from Virginia with the same name as the Chief Financial Officer of Tradex Plus. But neither of these other men listed Tradex Plus in their work history.) In fact, when we searched for “Tradex Plus” on LinkedIn, the only thing we could find was a reference to an article published by a “Mike Smith” in an online newspaper in Australia called “Best in AU.” The article was titled “Leonardo Gamboa discusses his revolutionary business, Tradex Plus.” It struck us as a remarkable coincidence that the “Best in AU” was published on June 18, 2019, the very day we searched for it! Since this article appeared on the website “Best in AU” –a site devoted to businesses in Australia—we checked with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (A service provided by the Australian government about businesses that operate in Australia) to see what it could tell us about “Tradex Plus Corporation.” And the answer we got was NOTHING! No listing for it!

[NOTE: On LinkedIn we did find a reference to a cosmetics business in Great Britain called “Tradex Plus LTD (not “Corporation”) and it also had VERY little information about it on LinkedIn. We don’t think this is related to the reshipping business we are writing about.]

BACKGROUND RESEARCH
Since Tradex Plus Corp was doing business in the U.S. we also visited the Better Business Bureau website to see what it could tell us about this business. There are 9 Corporations that begin with the word Tradex but NONE of them is “Tradex Plus Corporation” and none of them offers the phone number provided in this email: 407-627-1545. We wondered about that phone number. The area code 407 is associated with several Florida counties. We conducted a simple Google search of the phone number and found some VERY interesting results. Google replied with 148 results on June 20, 2019. But not a single one of these links was for Tradex Plus Corporation.

Back to the TradexPlusUSA.com website we went to dive deeper! Fortunately, Tradex Plus offers a web page of twelve happy Shipping Agents with names, city locations, dates of employment and ratings dating back to February 13, 2017. (According to the Florida Department of State Sunbiz.org website, the Tradex Plus business was registered in Florida on February 10, 2017 just three days before Rene Miller from Houston, Texas got his 4.8 star rating as a Shipping Agent for Tradex Plus, as described on their website.) We tried to do a reverse image search on several of the photos posted but weren’t able to find any information about them, except for one. (This is likely because the photos are so generic.) However, we had no trouble locating the photo of “Rene Miller” from Houston, Texas that was posted on the TradexPlusUSA website! It turns out that this photo of “Rene Miller” can be found on six different LinkedIn accounts with at least four other names, including a LinkedIn account in China! This is very likely because the photo of “Rene Miller” is a stock photo purchased from a stock images company. Does this raise questions about the legitimacy of the other eleven photos?

Here’s a screenshot of “Rene Miller’s” photo as “Danny Koniowsky” on LinkedIn as the owner/operator of the Steadfast Messenger Service in Washington, DC.

After all of this questionable information about the legitimacy of the Tradex Plus Corporation website and email invitation to apply for this job, we thought the best thing to do was to consider applying! If you look back at the link in the email about this job for a “Shipping Agent” you’ll see that it doesn’t point to the Tradex Plus website. It points to a Google Doc called “62.docx” owned by an anonymous account holder. And on this Google doc is the company contact information, including another phone number (800-461-3802) that can also be found on the Tradex Plus USA website. However, the link on this Google Doc to complete your application points to a website called submit-application[.]net This application website was registered in May, 2018 through an anonymous proxy service so we have no idea who is behind it. When we conduct a Google search for this application service at submit-application[.]net, Google can find the website itself but knows nothing more about it. There is no information about this application service or the website name. When we visited the submit-application website, we’re asked to enter the code number for this job, 263237, and that’s where we stopped.

We tried to widen our search of Tradex Plus Corporation to see what other websites might be saying about it. So we conducted a broad Google search for “Tradex Plus Corp” (excluding the Tradex website itself) and found 251 links on June 20.

On the one hand, many of these links appeared to be about a legitimate company such as these three links:

Florida State website about the Tradex Plus Corp business
Business information on Corporation Wiki
Talk Radio 1170, with a press release from ABNewswire, and listing a different phone number for Tradex Plus.

But we also found another press-release style article from April, 2019 on a website called Techwacky[.]com. The English in the Techwacky article is very unprofessionally written! The opening paragraph is “Because of the outstanding success of Florida-based leading cloud-based mail management and mail forwarding, Tradex Plus, Corp. amazingly received significant funding from different investors. The valuable purpose of this successful funding is to make an extent of their network in providing an efficient private shipping agents as well as to increase their portfolio for the cloud-based solutions. This way, the company will be able to expand their profound services meaning, more and more clients are going to experience what their satisfying services is all about.” When we looked up the ownership of the Techwacky.com domain, we find that it was registered in Bangladesh back in 2009 so we aren’t sure what to expect from the quality of the English reporting on that website.

FOOTNOTE 1: The woman who first contacted us about the Tradex Plus, informed us on June 26, days after being “hired” by Tradex plus that she received her first package from them to reship. They wanted her to remove the old labels and sent her a new label to forward the package to an address in Florida. The package was a Macbook Air and it came from an address in New Hampshire. She tried calling them at 407-627-1545 to say that she no longer wanted to work for them and to return the package. The call went straight to voicemail. She did receive a follow up call from someone who identified herself as Anita Elson, but all other communication was via text and email. Not sure if the call just went to voice mail or not.

FOOTNOTE 2: On July 25, 2019, a woman contacted us to say that she was just hired by Tradex Plus and give an “employee account” on their “employee portal” at the website logisticscrm[.]us. This website was registered just two months earlier by a “John Adams” with “Logistic Solutions USA LLC” located in Doral, Florida at 9737 NW 41st Street. This address is a UPS Store! Neither the Better Business Bureau, nor the Florida State Department of State, Division of Corporations can locate any business in Doral, Florida by this name. (The Florida State web site finds 2 businesses with similar names, but one has been inactive since 2006 and the other inactive since 2010.)

FOOTNOTE #3: In early August, 2019 we heard from two “employees” of Tradex Plus who told us independently that each received as their first delivery, a special “bidet toilet seat.” This seems like a very odd coincidence to us. Also, one of these employees gave us his login credentials to the “employee website” at logisticscrm[.]us. This is what we found in his account:

We found that opening paragraph to be very suspicious and unprofessional:
When a package is received, you should wait for a prepaid shipping label to appear in your account and prepare the shipment in the meantime. You should never open product boxes (branded packaging from manufacturer), you can only open outer brown or white shipping boxes and outer shipping envelopes during inspection. Never take out products from the box, products must remain in the box when you are taking photos. Make sure to carefully remove all stickers, branded wrapping, original shipping labels and all remainders of duct tape from the outer shipping box. If you need to remove a sticker or a label from a box, use hair dryer to heat up the sticker before slowly peeling it off. You should normally upload two photos. Please click “Upload photo” for further instructions about imaging standards. Never send out a package with an original invoice or original shipping label on the outer box. When shipping with UPS make sure that the FBA section (which is usually the right part of shipping label) is also present on the box. After you have sent the package, you should enter its new tracking number by clicking “Confirm Shipment”. If you have any questions, use “Messages” option to contact your manager or call +1 (407) 627-1565.

Where does all of this leave us? With many questions!

Is Tradex Plus a real business that hires people to reship packages legally from their home to places around the world?

Is the email that seems to be from Tradex Plus legitimate or was it spoofed to look like it came from Tradex Plus, but is actually linked to criminals who want YOU to ship their stolen merchandise?

Honestly, we can’t be certain about the answers for either of these questions. We can only say that our brief dive down this rabbit hole has raised many concerns about the legitimacy of information and representation rather than restoring confidence in that email from Maria Garcia. Caveat Emptor!

UPDATE 6/28/19:
One of our readers contacted us after receiving this email. Notice that the FROM address contains two different names, a common practice scammers use (though we are not certain why they do this.) Also below is a screenshot of the pdf application details for a “Package Handler.”

We’ve also learned of an interesting twist to the package reshipping scams from a TDS reader who contacted us just recently. A woman we’ll call “Faith” told us that she had been hired by a company called Cargo Transfer LLC to receive products, relabel boxes and ship them to new addresses. Faith said that she was promised $3000/month as payment. After 8 weeks of shipping, it was time to be paid. However, she was never contacted by Cargo Transfer LLC, and her emails and calls to them had no response.

A little research informs us that Faith is not alone and that these bogus companies and their websites come and go monthly! Check out the complaints listed about this hired-but-no-payment scam, including “Cargo Transfer LLC” on the Indeed community board since the start of 2019:

https://www.indeed.com/forum/gen/Career-Advice/Explicit-Logistic-Company-Scam/t387475/p24

Other companies mentioned since early January, 2019 by people on this community board include those listed below. There is a lot of good information from the people discussing these scams on this community board, including “DoesItMatter” from Texas who told blog members that a Fedex agent she spoke with said that the packages she has been reshipping were very likely purchased with stolen credit cards. On this community board, “TiaClark7680” had great advice for people. She said “Rule of thumb…don’t trust any logistics company offering you a position without at least meeting you face to face.” We agree!

ACS Logistics LTD (acslogisticsltd[.]com)
Alltime Plus
Amazon Inspect Goods
Amazon Inspect My Pack LLC
AGS Transportation (agstransportation[.]com)
Ashby Logistics (ashbylogistics[.]com; not to be confused with LEGIT Ashby Logistics, L.L.C. in Utah, USA)
Best Shop USA
Bossart Services LLC
Business Line Logistics
Cargo Transfer LLC
Caleed logistic
Crowd Shipment LLC
Delta Tansportation Group Co. LLC
DNC Transportation
Dolphin Services LLC. (dolphin-services[.]com and dolphin-service[.]com)
Dorneo Company (dorneo[.]com; website taken down as of 6/28/19)
Elterro (elterro[.]com)
Enzian Logistics & Trading
Explicit Logistics Company
Express Logistics and Warehousing Co., LLC
FFC Systems
G-Transzone
Hamphrey Logistics
Hartmann Logistics Co
Holloway Logistics LTD
Inspect Logistic, LLC
Lake Freight LTD
Light Logistics Group
Logistics Bay Limited (lgtbay[.]com)
Logistics DC Inc. (logisticsdcinc.com; website taken down)
LOGISUS Company
Logitrade LLC (or Inc) (logitradeusa[.]com)
MCS Logistics LLC (mcslogisticsllc[.]com)
ME Company (mexploration-company[.]com)
MET Transportation Network Co. LLC (mettn[.]com)
Meyer Freight Line (meyerfl[.]com)
My US Pack
National Marine Group
New Wave logistics
NTG Global (ntgglobal[.]group)
NVL Logistics
Offshore Support Network (offshoresupp[.]com)
PFW Delivery Services Inc
REM Delivery Services (remdeliveryservices[.]com; website taken down as of 6/28/19)
Shipping-crm[.]net
Siren Logistics and Warehousing (Sirenlw[.]com)
Toscanini Transportation
Tran Fulliment (Misspelled by person posting to thread)
Unisendo/ FFC Systems (unisendo[.]com)
Uptime Plus Company
Venus Transportation, A Logistics Firm