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Shady Reshipping Centers Exposed

Posted by timothy on from the shady-shipping-containers-make-cool-houses dept.

Dynamoo writes "Ever wondered how criminals can spirit away the products they buy with stolen credit cards? The answer is that they use surprisingly sophisticated but very shady reshipping centers to launder the goods on their way to Eastern Europe. The bad guys make the money, but it's the mules doing the reshipping who will eventually get caught."

18 of 143 comments (clear)

  1. Blame big corporations. Really by Ptur · · Score: 3

    Reshipping centers only exist because some big corporations refuse to sell their goods to the whole world, causing people to look for ways to pretend to be in the US so they can order the stuff.

    1. Re:Blame big corporations. Really by rabidmuskrat · · Score: 2

      He never said anything about forcing the companies to do anything. He just stated how the reshipping centers came about.

      --
      Need any dad jokes?
    2. Re:Blame big corporations. Really by HungryHobo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Because it often involves price discrimination, restrictions on free trade or trying to prevent your customers from re-selling their property which is detrimental to a free market.

    3. Re:Blame big corporations. Really by Charliemopps · · Score: 2

      They shouldn't. But what they are really doing is price manipulation. They sell in the US first, then in Europe 6 months later. Then complain when a 3rd party buys up the goods in the US and resells them in Europe or vice versa. To the point that they actually cripple their devices so only certain media will work on them.

    4. Re:Blame big corporations. Really by LordLimecat · · Score: 2

      Free trade doesnt mean you can choose to set your prices different in different markets. If MS couldnt do that, they would either pull completely out of countries like India and China (where noone would think of paying more than a few dollars for Windows), or they would go out of business (because they could not sustain a business by selling the OS at India / China prices).

      If I am a street vendor, and I flew over here from India, should I not be allowed to sell my wares at US price levels? Should I be forced to sell at whatever price I used in India? Wouldnt THAT be a restriction on free trade, as my competitors will not be bound by that?

    5. Re:Blame big corporations. Really by georgesdev · · Score: 2

      what the original poster is talking about is people buying with stolen cards, not delivering it to their address, but to a mule instead, and have that "mule" reship it to their true address. So yes, it deserves jail for the guy who stole your card

    6. Re:Blame big corporations. Really by BondGamer · · Score: 2

      Or maybe they exist because big corporations refuse to sell their goods for a 100% discount.

    7. Re:Blame big corporations. Really by HTH+NE1 · · Score: 2

      But I want to pretend I'm in the UK so I can buy toys from Amazon.co.uk which they won't ship to the US (unless they're attached to a DVD, such as a die cast model of The Liberator attached to a Region 2 season box set of Blakes 7). With my own credit card, too! I can understand that there's differing child safety laws and regulations and costly mandatory testing procedures governing toys but, dammit, I'm an adult!

      They'll let me buy things that should be useless due to DRM and region locking and/or differing video standards, but they won't let me buy actually useless toys?!

      --
      Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
  2. The mules are always the ones who pay by elrous0 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It's always the prostitute, the low-level drug dealer, the addict drug runner, etc. who end up in jail. The pimps and high-level drug dealers always walk away clean. Cops have learned that it's a lot easier to go after the low-level easy target than to do the *real* work of busting the scum at the top. That's not to excuse what the low-level scum does, but still, if the cops REALLY wanted to make a dent in this crap (and not just get some press *looking* like they're doing something), they would be taking on the guys who this stuff was shipped *too*. Don't tell me the U.S. couldn't put pressure on Russia and other eastern European counties to deal with this stuff if they really wanted to.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  3. Hmm... by wren337 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    1) Set up in a foreclosed house somewhere
    2) Answer ad on Craigslist for reshipping job
    3) Keep merchandise, send out packages weighted with bricks
    4) Disappear before 1st package arrives in Russia
    5) Profit???

    1. Re:Hmm... by BigSes · · Score: 3, Interesting

      This works better than you think, or worked I should say. A friend of mine did it for a year or two with an empty house across the street from his (this is back in the AOL days), he eventually got caught by one person and was forced to pay them back $250 that he charged on their stolen card number. That doesnt make up for the $1000s he got prior to getting caught. He actually bought a CRATE of Sega Saturns when they were first released. He would order stuff on a stolen card number and just watch the porch for delivery, then go and get the packages. I dont know what he did with most of the stuff he ordered, because this was before eBay or Craigslist as well.

  4. Re:What excuses do they use? by MoonBuggy · · Score: 2

    There are plenty of items that are only available in certain countries and are only sold by companies that don't ship internationally. With popular items you can normally find them on eBay with international shipping, but if it's a niche product then your best bet is a re-shipper. It doesn't surprise me for a second that they're being used for fraud, but there is a logical and legitimate purpose to their existence.

  5. Re:Easy to infiltrate by L4t3r4lu5 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Wouldn't it be very easy for the police to infiltrate this sort of thing? Just respond to a couple of ads on craiglist, then trace the packages to their final destination.

    Yes, only the US has no jurisdiction outside of it's borders and can do dick all about it without using diplomatic channels.

    Oh, wait, ACTA means they practically do. Forget I said anything.

    --
    Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
  6. Answer ad put down 1060 west addison as address by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 2, Funny

    And let them just ship all they want and they will never get them back.

    1060 west addison Chicago, IL 60613

  7. Hold on... This means I can get free stuff by jpapon · · Score: 2
    So wait, all I have to do is respond to some douche's ad on craigslist, and he'll start sending me expensive electronics? All I have to do is tell them I'll reship them?

    Seems rather amazing to me that nobody is stepping in and just receiving the items without reshipping them. Or shipping boxes filled with junk instead of the electronics.

    Disclaimer: I do not suggest doing this, and wish to strongly emphasize that any stolen merchandise received by anyone should be immediately returned to the store it was stolen from.

    --
    -- Let us endeavor so to live that when we pass even the undertaker shall be sorry. -- M. Twain
    1. Re:Hold on... This means I can get free stuff by sjames · · Score: 2

      It probably DOES happen, but the cards they buy the products on are stolen so they're not out much.

      They may or may not break a few kneecaps to keep the problem under control.

  8. Re:Easy to infiltrate by JDG1980 · · Score: 2

    Predator drones have worldwide jurisdiction.

  9. Re:Easy to infiltrate by shentino · · Score: 2

    Screwing the US by letting their own citizens get away with scams can prove to be powerful motive if diplomatic relations are sour enough.

    "To catch an identity thief" revealed some scammers setting up a server in Iran specifically to take advantage of Iran's apathy and outright hostility towards US interests.

    When you're on the run from someone there's not much better than to camp out on someone else's turf that hates the guy chasing you.