Victim Location 98405
Total money lost $3,475
Type of a scam Employment
RA Shippers contacted me about a position in January (via email), near the end of January I decided to apply (with Student Loans, bills, etc piling up) some work would be better than no work. I recently graduated with a Bachelor’s (Business) degree in HR Management, but not a ton of experience, so the prospect of decent pay for not much work would allow me to still look for an HR position. I had a phone interview, had to sign an "Employment Agreement", then had to upload a copy of my Drivers License/ID for a background check. Upon hiring I also gave Direct Deposit information. All of which made things seem legitimate…but now I worry about Identity theft.
I received packages to inspect for damages and uploaded Photos of each item to a "User Panel" before re-shipping the item(s) dropping them off at FedEx or UPS Store (with New Shipping Labels downloaded from the panel) and finally uploading a copy of the receipt to the panel. I often had to pick up items from (2) Best Buy locations or UPS Store (held under my name or phone #) and was supposed to be paid more for each of these "Pick-up" items. My first packages were picked up from Best Buy locations (February 7) and the last packages were dropped off (March 12). I was told I would be paid the 12th of each month. On 3/12 I contacted Alison Porter (HR) representative I worked for, about being paid and she informed me it was the 14th, not the 12th, that I was to be paid. So, the morning of 3/14 I attempted to sign into the "User Panel" as normal; just to find my Login was not working. After trying several times (by phone & email) to reach Alison Porter about this issue and about NOT being paid, she sent an email saying I would be "Paid" that day and the panel was just "technical difficulties". That was the very last time she was in contact with me. I’ve tried daily to call and email her, finally I went back and found email addresses for other HR staff/Managers that had contacted me in the beginning and emailed them too. When no one responded to my emails or the messages I left on the General Company Line, I’ve had no choice but to figure out the Job has been a scam? I put in the work and should be paid accordingly. I want to be paid the agreed upon ($3100 base + $375 bonus = $3475) not to mention the trips I was supposed to be paid extra for, but any pay would be nice at this point.
I do have copies of each of the photos I uploaded to the user panel along with the receipts for re-shipping for each of the items. I have record of the items I had to pick up from other locations. I have copies of the job offer with names and contact information for various HR, the Employee Agreement I signed 2/05 and the eversign Audit trail for the electronically signed document. In addition, I do have several of the (actual) shipping labels printed out for the packages I sent. I printed 2 copies of each label just to be safe, and then kept the receipts with each label just to be more organized and in case there were ever any issues. I know they have more information readily available regarding the shipments than the receipts do. For example, where the packages were being delivered and to whom. I had done my due diligence, just in case, to the best of my ability. I also have a copy of every email correspondence with Alison Porter (to or from), and any other HR I had contact with. I hate feeling so “scammed” even when I tried to cover all of my bases. I’m over ** years old and feel stupid for falling for this (scam). Never did I think I would (legitimately) work and not be paid for the hours I put in…who does that?
Victim Location 31410
Total money lost $3,100
Type of a scam Employment
RA Shippers offered a position in logistics. Accepting packages, usually of electronics (PC’s, cameras, phone equipment) sent to my home address to be opened, inspected, and then shipped out to another third party for a monthly salary of $3100.00. I was provided a login to a tracking website to record receiving a package, photographing its’ contents and a receipt to resend the package. I had a contact supervisor whom I spoke with 2-3 times a week. After one month, on the day my compensation was due to be deposited into my bank account, all the passwords and signons were no longer valid. I could not reach anyone at RA Shippers. I can only surmise that, contrary to their claim of being a logistics company "bundling" shipments to primarily Eastern European countries, they were using fictitious names to move either stolen or counterfeit merchandise or possibly, equipment that had been modified with spyware. DO NOT ENGAGE THIS COMPANY!!!
Victim Location 61238
Type of a scam Employment
I was emailed a job offer about receiving packages, inspecting the material inside, filing out an inspection report and then reshooting them to the buyer. I tried doing research on the company and found nothing. I have not signed any employment agreement with the company.