Brushing scam continues to plague consumers
By Greg Collier
On the surface, the brushing scam seems like a victimless crime. You receive a package in the mail addressed to you that you didn’t order and probably didn’t pay for. By law, you get to keep whatever was in the package. No harm, no foul, right? Well, not exactly.
In the brushing scam, third-party vendors that sell products on platforms like Amazon, Walmart and Wish, will send hundreds of their products to unsuspecting users of those sites. They use the fact that you received the package to use your name in a product review as a verified buyer. This allows the vendor to give themselves phony five-star reviews for a product that more often than not is cheaply made and shoddy. In turn, this tricks unsuspecting consumers into buying this product because of the false positive reviews. As you can see, while the scam is quite elaborate, it’s not without its victims.
The State of New York, recently issued a warning to its residents about the brushing scam. They suggest that if you receive anything organic, like food, plants, or seeds, to dispose of them as they could pose an ecological threat, especially if they’re from overseas. If the package comes from a platform like Amazon, you should notify them and have them remove any false reviews made in your name. Lastly, you should check all your retail accounts to make sure that you weren’t charged for any of these products. Just as a precaution, you should change your passwords to these accounts every few months or so.
In some cases, the recipients of these products have had their personal information compromised. So, if you receive one of these brushing packages, you may also want to keep an eye on your credit history to make sure your identity hasn’t been stolen.
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