5 ms·

Also, Goods are purchased using stolen credit cards and get shipped to hotels. Later, they schedule FedEx to pickup items from the hotel, which get shipped to M

Also, Goods are purchased using stolen credit cards and get shipped to hotels. Later, they schedule FedEx to pickup items from the hotel, which get shipped to Miami. It happened few times at my hotel. One time we told the FedEx that the package is not here and ask thme to leave the prepaid label. I googled the address, and found few snippets, reviews & complained about unauthorized purchases and shipments to that address.

CamperBob2 4y ago
So, you can actually get the FedEx driver to create and apply a prepaid label to a box located at an arbitrary address? I'm unclear on how that works.
- newhotelowner 4y ago
  Package with CamperBob2 got shipped to the hotel from Walmart. CamperBob2 creates a FedEx pickup order. CamperBob2 calls hotel saying that his plans got changed but he had ordered something that would be delivered to the hotel. And ask hotel to hand it FedEx pickup driver. CamperBob2 didn't have a reservation at the hotel. The hotel hands the package to the FedEx pickup driver. I am not an expert on how this scam works. But it happened two times. Usually, when we get something that is not in our name, we look it up to see if the guest is already in the house, and coming. The first few times we handed a few packages to FedEx with a name whom didn't have any reservation. As soon as we asked questions about it and held one package, it stopped. It started again after covid with the same pattern.
- NavinF 4y ago
  Amazon does this with both UPS and FedEx for returns. They pay for the shipping label and for a guy to show up at your front door with said label. If you leave a box marked “fedex pickup” or something similar at the door, they’ll just take it without disturbing you.
  - CamperBob2 4y ago
    Hmm, interesting. I've always printed the return label myself, because I didn't know there was any other way. This sounds... abusable. Why should I take the risk of porch piracy, for example, if the FedEx driver will do it for me?
    - NavinF 4y ago
      That’s what I usually do, but a lot of people don’t have printers at home. There’d have to print the label at work the next day and then get it picked up the day after. I doubt the FedEx driver would take a package if it’s obviously not meant for pickup (e.g. if it already has a label on it for delivery to that address).
      - CamperBob2 4y ago
        I doubt the FedEx driver would take a package if it’s obviously not meant for pickup (e.g. if it already has a label on it for delivery to that address). Sure, but isn't that what's happening here? A package addressed to ABC at hotel XYZ is picked up by the carrier, relabeled, and delivered to another location where the thief can pick it up? I must be misunderstanding the scam. I also don't understand why the merchandise isn't just shipped straight to Miami. The thief obviously won't have it forwarded from the hotel to his/her own house, and sending it to a hotel first isn't going to fool law enforcement for very long.
        NavinF 4y ago
        The difference is that with porch piracy, the person living at the address is uncooperative. FedEx won’t take the package unless you hand it to them or make it obvious that they’re supposed to take it. Hotels are generally cooperative: If you call a hotel and tell them that you incorrectly sent a package to their address (maybe you ordered it months ago when you were staying at the hotel but the package was held up in customs) and need them to forward it to your home address, they will oblige. If you directly pay the carrier to pick it up instead of paying the hotel to re-mail it, they have even fewer reasons to ask questions. Sure the hotel could try to verify whether you really stayed there but that’s not easy and would annoy real customers who didn’t pay for the room and don’t have their name on the bill. Either way the hotel isn’t taking any risks (beyond the nebulous “liability” that you can’t avoid unless you live in a padded cell) Oh and LEOs don’t care about $1k scams. The thief is likely much more concerned that one of their victims will show up at their house and gun them down. Recall that half of all Americans live in a home with at least one firearm. That’s the only reason why thieves hide their addresses.

CamperBob2 4y ago

So, you can actually get the FedEx driver to create and apply a prepaid label to a box located at an arbitrary address? I'm unclear on how that works.

newhotelowner 4y ago
Package with CamperBob2 got shipped to the hotel from Walmart. CamperBob2 creates a FedEx pickup order. CamperBob2 calls hotel saying that his plans got changed but he had ordered something that would be delivered to the hotel. And ask hotel to hand it FedEx pickup driver. CamperBob2 didn't have a reservation at the hotel. The hotel hands the package to the FedEx pickup driver. I am not an expert on how this scam works. But it happened two times. Usually, when we get something that is not in our name, we look it up to see if the guest is already in the house, and coming. The first few times we handed a few packages to FedEx with a name whom didn't have any reservation. As soon as we asked questions about it and held one package, it stopped. It started again after covid with the same pattern.
NavinF 4y ago
Amazon does this with both UPS and FedEx for returns. They pay for the shipping label and for a guy to show up at your front door with said label. If you leave a box marked “fedex pickup” or something similar at the door, they’ll just take it without disturbing you.
- CamperBob2 4y ago
  Hmm, interesting. I've always printed the return label myself, because I didn't know there was any other way. This sounds... abusable. Why should I take the risk of porch piracy, for example, if the FedEx driver will do it for me?
  - NavinF 4y ago
    That’s what I usually do, but a lot of people don’t have printers at home. There’d have to print the label at work the next day and then get it picked up the day after. I doubt the FedEx driver would take a package if it’s obviously not meant for pickup (e.g. if it already has a label on it for delivery to that address).
    - CamperBob2 4y ago
      I doubt the FedEx driver would take a package if it’s obviously not meant for pickup (e.g. if it already has a label on it for delivery to that address). Sure, but isn't that what's happening here? A package addressed to ABC at hotel XYZ is picked up by the carrier, relabeled, and delivered to another location where the thief can pick it up? I must be misunderstanding the scam. I also don't understand why the merchandise isn't just shipped straight to Miami. The thief obviously won't have it forwarded from the hotel to his/her own house, and sending it to a hotel first isn't going to fool law enforcement for very long.
      - NavinF 4y ago
        The difference is that with porch piracy, the person living at the address is uncooperative. FedEx won’t take the package unless you hand it to them or make it obvious that they’re supposed to take it. Hotels are generally cooperative: If you call a hotel and tell them that you incorrectly sent a package to their address (maybe you ordered it months ago when you were staying at the hotel but the package was held up in customs) and need them to forward it to your home address, they will oblige. If you directly pay the carrier to pick it up instead of paying the hotel to re-mail it, they have even fewer reasons to ask questions. Sure the hotel could try to verify whether you really stayed there but that’s not easy and would annoy real customers who didn’t pay for the room and don’t have their name on the bill. Either way the hotel isn’t taking any risks (beyond the nebulous “liability” that you can’t avoid unless you live in a padded cell) Oh and LEOs don’t care about $1k scams. The thief is likely much more concerned that one of their victims will show up at their house and gun them down. Recall that half of all Americans live in a home with at least one firearm. That’s the only reason why thieves hide their addresses.