Wisconsin Senior Medicare Patrol

A 44-year old Ripon, Wisconsin woman just wanted a job. She thought she’d found it in a shipping venture.

What she got was a place at the center of a weapons smuggling investigation spanning the globe.

The woman was hired to ship clothing to orphans in Russia. But a tip from a firearms dealer in Iowa led law enforcement to learn that she was actually helping crooks smuggle weapons, according to ABCNews.com. The fraudsters used stolen credit cards to purchase the weapons, and hired the woman to mail the items to them under the guise of clothing.

Police say the woman likely won’t be charged.

These types of scams are EVERYWHERE and even the most vigilant person can be taken in – especially in the bad economy. Here’s how you can avoid getting scammed:

• Check the business rating with the Better Business Bureau. If located in the U.S., be sure they have a business license – especially if you only communicate online. Also, talks officials at the state Attorney General’s Office if they’ve received complaints about a business.
• Google it. Using a search engine like Bing or Google, search the business name, or the names of any people you communicate with. See what articles or blog posts are out there associated with it. Sometimes, you can find out quickly a company is associated with scams.
• Ask questions and talk to a real person. Don’t just rely on email and instant messaging communications. If a company only communicates with you electronically, it is likely a scam. After all, how many jobs have you ever gotten without a phone or in-person job interview?
• If it sounds too good to be true, it likely is. The woman mentioned above thought she was making $30 each time she mailed a package.