BALTIMORE — A Maryland job seeker thought she landed a dream work-from-home gig with flexible hours and high pay.
The employer, who went by Sical Logistics or Sical Post, promised Monette Harrison a significant payout for simply accepting packages, printing labels, and reshipping them.
“They said I would be paid $2,400 for 30 days,” said Harrison. “That would be for the first month, and then the second month it would be $3,400."
The employer claimed that Amazon and other companies couldn't ship overseas, and the special labeling was necessary to send packages across the country. But when the end of the month arrived, the promised paycheck never came.
“No contact whatsoever, and then once I tried to contact them through email and online, they shut down the system, so I wasn't able to contact them online,” said Harrison.
Harrison didn't receive payment and ended up spending a significant amount of money reshipping the packages, causing her financial hardship.
“I lost my transportation back in November, so I was taking Lyfts and Ubers back and forth to UPS, FedEx, and different locations,” said Harrison.
To make matters worse, she may have been involved in a potentially illegal scheme.
"You most often are reshipping counterfeit goods, stolen goods,” said Angie Barnett, President & CEO, of the Better Business Bureau of Greater Maryland. “And you are serving as what is called a money mule. You are actually complicit in something that's an illegal trade.”
The Better Business Bureau of Greater Maryland frequently receives reports of employment scams. Fraudsters know job seekers are seeking convenience and, most importantly, high pay.
“If it's a real company, or it sounds like it could be a local company, call their Human Resources department, call their customer service number, and say, 'Are you actually seeking employment there?'” advised Barnett.
Sical Logistics or Sical Post claimed to have found Harrison through a job search website. When WMAR-2 News tried to contact the company through the provided email addresses and phone numbers, there was no response. There is a real transportation services company in India called Sical Logistics, but it appears to be unrelated to the person who reached out to Harrison.
Job seekers should be careful about posting their information on job board sites. Not all listings are legitimate, especially if they hire you immediately. It is essential to research the company before providing any personal information.
Click here for more information on job scams and identifying fake listings.
And click here to learn more about reshipping scams and what makes them illegal.
