The New York state Division of Consumer Protection is warning residents against brushing scams – in which unordered packages show up at your doorstep as apparent free gifts.
They aren’t. It’s a scam that targets a recipient and turns them into a
“verified buyer” upon delivery for the purpose of writing fake positive
online reviews of merchandise in the recipient’s name, according to the
state.
“These fake reviews fraudulently boost or inflate the products’ ratings
and sales numbers, which scammers hope results in an increase of actual
sales, and they also compromise your personal information with this
illicit practice,” it said in a news release.
The packages won’t have a return or address or will be that of a
retailer. The sender is usually an international, third-party seller who
has found the recipient’s address online. And once the package arrives,
the scammer can write a glowing review of the product
and boost it with a five-star rating.
1. You don’t have to pay for it. Federal law may allow recipients to
keep items they received but did not order. Recipients are under no
obligation to pay for unsolicited merchandise and can consider it a
gift. If you don’t want the item, you can donate it
or simply dispose of it and do not have to return it.
2. Report it. If the item received is organic (seeds, plants or food),
report it to the USDA. Unsolicited seeds or plants should not be…
