Got a package you didn’t order? It’s probably a scam

If an unexpected package shows up for you at your door, you may initially be excited- a free gift sounds nice! But if the package is coming from someone you don’t know, you may be the victim of a “brushing scam”.

In a brushing scam, scammers are sending people items like rings, beauty products, speakers, and other items in hopes to “brush up” — or increase — their sales. The scam starts the same, with an unexpected package arrives at your doorstep, but has multiple variations:

QR Codes

If your package has a QR code inside and says to scan to see who sent it, don’t do it. This is one of the riskier variations of the scam as scanning can lead to aphishing website designed to steal your personal information. So, if this is the case, don’t scan the QR code and contact the retailer directly if you’re unsure about the package.

Fake Reviews

In this scenario, a company, usually a foreign, third-party seller is simply using your address that they discovered online to make it appear that you wrote a glowing online review of their merchandise and that you are a verified buyer of that merchandise. They then post that review to improve their products’ ratings, which means more sales.

“Who cares if they write a fake review in my name?” you might say. Well, if you got a package you didn’t order, it means someone likely has your personal information.

So what do I do?

In either scenario, you got an unexpected package you didn’t order:

• Change passwords on all your online shopping accounts in case they were compromised. If the package came from Amazon or another online marketplace, send the platform a message so they can investigate removing the seller.
• Check your credit weekly for free at AnnualCreditReport.com to monitor the information in your credit report and check for signs of identity theft.
• Don’t contact the sender. If you search online for the sender and reach out, anyone who responds will likely try to get more sensitive information from you to try to steal your money.

Got a package you didn’t order? Keep the merchandise and report fake reviews and scams to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.