The holiday season is a joyful time and plenty of people are busy sending packages and gifts.

But in all the hustle and bustle, you should take care to avoid one of the season’s most popular scams, the U.S. Postal Service warns.

Reshipping scams occur all year but thieves capitalize on the shopping season to use stolen identification to buy products then have an unsuspecting third party receive the items and mail them off again.

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The scams works like this:

You are asked to receive mail or packages and ship them to someone else, sometimes out of the country.

Typically, the offers are made to look like part of a work-from-home job or as a way to help a charity or as a favor to a friend. These items are usually purchased with stolen debit cards or credit cards and you will likely be provided counterfeit postage to reship the stolen goods. Sometimes people are given counterfeit checks or money orders to deposit in their personal bank account and told to keep some of the money and send the rest elsewhere.

All of this can land the shipper in hot water, of course. You would be responsible for repayment for bogus checks or money orders and could be held criminally or civilly responsible for participation.

How to avoid the scam

To protect yourself from the scam:

• Do not accept packages at your address from people or companies unknown to you
• Do not entertain offers from people who want you to reship mail and/or packages
• If you receive a package from someone you do not know, refuse the package or return the package to sender.
• File a report at uspis.gov or call 1-877-876-2455.