Houston woman faces homelessness after alleged work from home scam
Work-from-home scam: Houston woman seeking answers from job employer
Melissa fears she may be homeless since a company who gave her a work-from-home position won't answer her calls about her paycheck.
The backstory:
Mildred Bedar, a Houston resident, is facing the threat of homelessness after a work-from-home job with a Kentucky-based shipping company failed to pay her.
Details of the Alleged Reshipping Scam
Bedar was hired to inspect Amazon shipments, repackage them, and send them to their final destinations. Her employment agreement promised a monthly salary of $2,900, plus a $20 bonus for each package handled.
After a month of work, the company ceased communication following her scheduled payday.
Both the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and the Postal Service have indicated that the business resembles a "reshipping scam," which often involves products acquired illegitimately and laundered through multiple shipping steps.
"I'll be homeless if I don't get that money"
What they're saying:
"I'll be homeless if I don't get that money," Bedar said. "I'm a 68-year-old woman with her service dog out on the street or her car is not something I would think about."
Leah Napoliello from the BBB commented on the situation, saying, "If she has not been paid, and suddenly the business has gone dark, there's no evidence they're still operating or way to contact them to request payment, then that is very suspicious."
How to identify legitimate remote job opportunities
What you can do:
To help identify legitimate work-from-home opportunities, the BBB suggests looking for a direct interview process and ensuring the company properly vets candidates.
They also advise being cautious if the payment seems excessive for the work and researching the company for any complaints about its operations.
The Source: The U.S. Postal Service and The Better Business Bureau.