BBB of the Mid-South is alerting consumers to avoid what appears to be a package re-shipping scheme. The BBB opened an investigation after it received several scam reports from a job-seekers in Arkansas, Florida & Kentucky. The victims were contacted or applied on Indeed.com to what appeared to be a legitimate job offer for a "logistics manager." They were told that the company, "Ship Trans Link," was located in Memphis, TN. Multiple people reported that they had been contacted by Sharon Watson, Personnel Manager with Ship Trans Link and offered the job for $2800 a month base salary plus bonuses to receive packages at home, inspect the contents, take photos of them, and re-ship them to other addresses. Victims would re-send packages but were never paid and unable to reach anyone.
These reports raise red flags because this resembles the "package re-shipper" work-from-home scam that has been the subject of previous warnings by the BBB and federal authorities. A check of the "Ship Trans Link" website showed a lot of generic photos of airplanes and trucks and names of well-known shipping companies. Some of the language used on the website and in emails to the job-seeker was oddly worded or contained grammatical errors, classic signs of a possible scam.
BBB staff went to 1331 Union Ave, Memphis, TN, 38104 and confirmed there is no "Ship Trans Link" at that location. Phone calls to the phone number (901) 257-7173 provided on the website go directly to voicemail. A search confirmed this phone number is a VOIP number.
Learn to recognize some of the steps a scammer may take. The following are some signs that it might be a scam:
- The scammer's email address is a generic email such as "
[email protected]," rather than using an email associated with the company they claim to be representing, such as "
[email protected]." Keep in mind that sometimes the company they say they represent is entirely fake, and other times they will falsely say they are with a legitimate company (so if you google the company, you can find the company and it appears more likely to be legitimate).
- They ask you to interview on Google Hangouts, Facebook Messenger, or Skype. This is a red flag because most legitimate employers will use a regular phone call, a personalized recruiting platform, an internal video/phone conference system, or similar. Scammers like Google Hangouts and Facebook Messenger because it is very easy to set up fake accounts that are not traceable.
- During the interview, the scammer asks you for personal information, such as your name and address or specific banking information (username and password for online banking) or an address to send checks to.
- They may claim they need this information so you can make an upfront payment for the job, often for "supplies" or a "computer preloaded with proprietary software," promising reimbursement in your first paycheck. Any request for payment as part of the job interview process is always an immediate red flag!
- Scammers often use oddly formal wording and/or poor grammar, spelling, and punctuation. A large percentage of these scams originate from outside of the U.S., so the English can often be unprofessional. Typically, any legitimate employer will aim to be professional and have well-edited communications with candidates, so while typos or poor grammar can happen to the best of us, it shouldn't be pervasive.
