A Florida man is sounding the alarm about work at home scams during the coronavirus pandemic, after recently falling into a fraudulent referral scheme.
Alan Walker, who lives in Miami Gardens, lost his job as a docker in the Port of Miami at the beginning of the pandemic. The father of two said he spent months looking for new opportunities online and submitted several applications until he got a call back for a work from home job in December.
“I was very excited and relieved because I was already a few months behind on my mortgage,” Walker told NBC News. He quickly accepted the position of “quality control inspector” at a transportation and logistics company called Shea Post LLC.
Walker said the function required him to receive packages from the company’s distributors, replace the outer label on the box, and then send the item to a customer. He received and reshipped about 19 packages, products ranging from a gold bar to power tools and vacuum cleaners.
“I felt that work was a good option for me and at the same time – with the pandemic – I would not be close to anyone, which was an advantage for my family’s health,” said Walker.
However, after working at the company for 30 days, Walker said he was wary of not receiving his salary on time. During the virtual integration process, Walker provided his bank information for direct deposits, along with photos of his driver’s license and social security card for a background check.
He immediately approached the human resources manager at Shea Post LLC, who said late payments were common for new employees, according to Walker. But when Walker followed up on his late payment, the human resources manager and his direct supervisor did not respond by email and phone.
Soon after, on January 19, Walker received a letter from the United States Postal Inspection Service in Newark, New Jersey, which said that he “may or may have been involved in a work-at-home scam and the items that you are receiving and / or the mail may contain stolen merchandise. “NBC News obtained a copy of the letter addressed to Walker.
The US Postal Inspection Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“There was no red flag with the company until the end, because everything went exactly as they said it would be,” said Walker. “But it was fraudulent and they took advantage of me.”
According to the Better Business Bureau, Shea Post LLC is not an accredited company and has received an “F” rating. The Better Business Bureau also has an alert about the company stating that the address provided is not your location. The images and names on the “About Us” page on the companies’ website are also invalid.
Shea Post LLC did not respond to requests for comment by phone and email.
Business complaints and job opportunity scams soared in 2020, when Covid-19 put millions of Americans out of work, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
“It was supposed to be a big step for me, but it ended up being eight steps back, and I’m still in the same position,” said Walker, who called his bank and credit bureaus to prevent identity theft.
Walker remains unemployed and is warning those who are also out of work to do their research before taking advantage of new opportunities.
“They used up my time, effort and energy, and it was a big slap in the face,” he said.