If someone called offering you a free trip, what would you think?
It’s common knowledge that scammers who email or call promising you vast fortune will ask for money. They’ll tell you a Nigerian prince will send you millions, but they need a few hundred to cover the transfer fees. Or they might say they need you to sign the necessary paperwork and offer to subsidize the trip. You can go on a multi-day trip for just a few hundred dollars, meet with an attorney, and walk out a millionaire.
But what if they don’t want your money?
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported that dozens of elderly U.S. citizens have been conned into being drug mules for illegal international organizations.
The scam works like this. They call, email, or contact you via social media. They entice you with the promise of an inheritance or business opportunity. You think it’s real because they talk a good game. They don’t ask you for any money or personally-identifying information. They build a relationship with you and make sure you’re looking forward to the trip. They book your trip, pay for your travel and expenses, but there’s a catch. On the home stretch of your trip, they ask you to do them a favor. They ask you to bring a harmless item to the business associate.
The seemingly innocent items – chocolates, picture frames, wooden hangers, or others things – contain drugs. The place your contact has sent you has stiff penalties for drug possession. That’s why they don’t send one of their own. So beware. If you’re caught with the items, you’re in trouble.
Next week: Are generic mobile phone chargers safe?