Is This Work From Home Job a Scam?

Work-from-home scams promise high pay for reshipping packages, processing payments, or doing simple data entry. Many involve illegal money laundering. Others demand upfront fees for 'training' or 'equipment' that never comes.

About this scam type: Online job listings offering high pay for simple work from home

ScamRadar verdict: likely-scam · Risk score: 83/100

Red flags to watch for

What to do right now

  1. Search the company name plus 'scam' before applying
  2. Never pay to get a job — legitimate employers don't charge fees
  3. Reshipping jobs are often illegal money mule operations
  4. Report to the FTC and to the FBI at ic3.gov

Real example of a 'reshipping' work-from-home scam

Job posting: Earn $3,200/week as a Quality Control Inspector! Receive packages at your home, inspect them for damage, repackage with shipping labels we provide, and forward them. Perfect for stay-at-home parents — no experience required.

Reshipping jobs use you to launder stolen merchandise. The packages contain items bought with stolen credit cards; you ship them overseas while law enforcement traces the trail back to your address.

What if you already clicked or paid?

If you've already received and forwarded packages, stop immediately. Cooperate fully with any law enforcement contact — package reshippers are often charged as accessories to fraud and money laundering. Document everything: every package received and shipped, the tracking numbers, the addresses, the email instructions. Contact a criminal defense attorney before speaking with anyone. File a report at FBI IC3 at ic3.gov explaining you were a victim of a reshipping scam. Notify your bank if you've received any 'salary' deposits, as those funds may be from stolen accounts and can be reversed. Stop receiving and shipping packages, return any unopened to the carrier marked 'refused,' and warn your neighbors and family that suspicious packages may continue arriving.

How to verify it's actually legitimate

Legitimate quality control jobs at major companies are done at the company's facility, not at your home. No real employer ships you packages to inspect and forward to other addresses. The reshipping scam is one of the most common forms of money laundering recruitment, and the FBI warns about it explicitly. Real remote jobs are listed on the company's official careers page (amazon.jobs, apple.com/careers, google.com/about/careers) and never involve receiving and shipping packages from your home.

People also ask

Are work-from-home reshipping jobs legal?

No. Reshipping packages bought with stolen credit cards is wire fraud and money laundering. Even if you didn't know, you can be charged as an accessory and have your bank accounts seized. The FBI explicitly warns against these jobs.

Why would a real company ship me items to inspect at home?

They wouldn't. Real quality control happens at the company's facility under controlled conditions. Any job that involves receiving packages at your home and forwarding them elsewhere is a reshipping fraud scheme.

I already shipped packages — am I in trouble?

You may face civil or criminal liability even as an unknowing victim. Stop immediately, document everything, contact a criminal defense attorney, file a report at FBI IC3, and cooperate fully with any law enforcement contact. Many reshipping victims avoid charges by reporting promptly.

What other work-from-home scams exist?

Common ones include envelope stuffing, mystery shopping with fake checks, reselling on Amazon with upfront fees, processing payments through your bank account, and pyramid schemes disguised as direct sales. Anything requiring upfront fees, fake checks, or routing money through your accounts is a scam.

How do I find a real work-from-home job?

Search trusted job boards (LinkedIn, Indeed, FlexJobs, We Work Remotely), apply through company career pages directly, and never pay an upfront fee. Verify any offer by calling the company's main line and asking for the HR contact named in the offer.

Related scam guides

Last reviewed: 2026-06-24 by the ScamRadar editorial team. We update this page when scammer tactics change or when official agencies issue new guidance.

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