CROMWELL, CT—March 14, 2019—Since December 2018, Better Business Bureau Serving Connecticut (BBB) received 13 Scam Tracker reports about three different businesses (Inspectrum, Inspection Land, LLC. and Dolphin Services, LLC.) offering employment by re-shipping packages. This process is generally linked to illegitimate activities, and is a scam that hurts individuals looking for work. BBB and the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) partnered in investigating the reports and are warning consumers not to fall for the offer.
How the scam works
Victims claim to see job postings online and elsewhere offering an easy work-from-home opportunity: simply re-shipping packages. After a quick hiring process, victims begin to receive packages. Some victims have even been sent to stores to pick up pre-paid items. Next, victims "inspect" packages, and re-ship them with new shipping labels provided by the company.
When victims inquire about their payment, no one at the “company” they’re working for can be contacted, and they never receive compensation.
It's believed that items being shipped or picked up in this scam are purchased with stolen credit cards or funds.
Risk of the scam
Consumers who fall victim to employment scams unknowingly put themselves at risk for several other types of fraud. Victims may provide these fraudulent companies with their Social Security numbers, banking information for direct deposit and a copy of their driver's licenses, putting them at risk for identity theft.
In this scam, the victims may find themselves in legal trouble if the items being shipped were purchased with stolen money.
Victims of this employment scam have been from nine states including North Carolina, Kansas, Texas, Missouri and California to name a few.
Companies involved
While Inspectrum claims to be located at 100 Constitution Plaza in Hartford, it was verified that no such business has offices at that location. Inspectrum’s main website is no longer operational and their social media channels have not seen any recent activity.
Inspection Land, LLC. claims to be located at 50 Columbus Blvd. in Hartford and is registered at this location with the Connecticut Secretary of the State. The owner of the building at that address confirmed with BBB that Inspection Land, LLC. is not a tenant of the building. Inspection Land’s main website remains active and continues to claim their location is 50 Columbus Blvd., and their social media channels are all either disabled or have no recent activity.
Based on the information detailed above, BBB cannot confirm the legitimacy of Inspectrum or Inspection Land, LLC.
The investigation has led BBB to find that the name and address of Dolphin Services, LLC. have been compromised and are being used by unauthorized individuals to carry out this re-shipping scheme. BBB contacted the owner of Dolphin Services, LLC. who verified that their information had been stolen. The legitimate Dolphin Services, LLC. continues to operate in Stamford.
If you’ve been targeted by a scam, help others avoid the same problem by reporting your experience to BBB Scam Tracker.
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Luke Frey
Associate Director of Communication
Better Business Bureau Serving Connecticut
lfrey@ct.bbb.org
860-740-4500 Ext. 103 (office)
Lora Rae Anderson
Director of Communications
Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection
lorarae.anderson@ct.gov
860-713-6019 (office)
860-247-8711 (cell)