One of the latest cyber scams going around is where a potential victim receives a random package that they did not order or expect.  The scammer finds your personal information online and sends you packages that you didn't order. The packages may be addressed to you, but they may not have a return address or the return address may be a retailer's.  Sometimes there is a QR code on the package with a request for you to scan the code to find out who the package is from. DO NOT SCAN THE QR CODE!

A random package you receive that you didn't order could be part of what's called a "brushing scam".

How a brushing scam works: scammer sends packages to publicly available names and addresses to make it seem like the recipient is a verified buyer who wrote positive reviews. The goal is to increase sales and ratings for the products.  The amazon algorithm is complicated and sometimes a catch 22. Amazon will put products on the first page that sell the best and have the most reviews. Sellers are prohibited from soliticing reviews or making fake reviews. This sometimes makes selling difficult because you need sales to be on page 1 and you won't get many sales unless you are on page 1! Therefore scammers use brushing as a loophole!

The other type of package scam is where the attacker sends a random package with a QR code to scan. The package may appear to be sent from a trusted brand or sender and be labeled as a "free gift". Once you scan the QR code the attacker gets your personal information like credit cards and bank information and uses it for nefarious purposes.
 

What to do if you receive a package you did not order

• Confirm with friends and family that it wasn't a gift for you 
• Contact the seller or retailer and let them know about the mistake 
• Discard or return the package to the sender 
• Change your account password and monitor your bank accounts for unusual activity 
• Consider freezing your credit 
• Report the incident to the Federal Trade Commission 

Sometimes when you contact the seller or where it came from (say Amazon) they will tell you to keep or donate the package. This happened to someone I know who received 35 "snuggies" they did not order! Needless to say everyone they know is staying warm in snuggies and the criminal got no information and wasted money trying to steal this person's info. Take that cyber scammers!

For more information on brushing scams check out these informative posts.

If you have been victimized visit the resources page for links on who to contact.

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