Are you a victim of the package scam called “brushing”? This involves having packages you didn’t order showing up on your doorstep.
At first glance, receiving packages you haven’t paid for might seem like a great problem to have. The victims are not charged for the items in questions, but also can’t stop the items from being shipped. Scammers engage in this behaviour in an effort to make the purchase look genuine and avoid violating marketplace terms for reviewing one’s own products. Instead they set up multiple fake accounts to purchase their own products and then give themselves glowing reviews.
The more reviews a product has, the more likely people are to buy the goods as they trust that it will suit their needs.
This means that it is more profitable for these companies to give away their products at the start, as they will turn a profit thanks to their fake reviews.
Some people might not think of this as being “victims” of a scam. After all, you’re not being charged for the items, no one has touched your credit card (that you know of), and technically, these items aren’t even stolen since the seller is the one who purchased them.
The reality, though, is being involved in a brushing scam means that someone has gained access to your name, mailing address, and potentially other information. Depending on how they accessed your information, they could be privy to a lot more of your personally identifiable information than you realise.
If you begin receiving packages that are addressed to you but you did not order, contact the retailer immediately. Then change your passwords on your online accounts, just in case the scammer got your address by hacking an account.
Help to protect yourself from identity theft:
- Protect your name and address by opting out of the ‘open’ electoral register.
- Regularly check your bank accounts and chase up any statements that you don’t get when you expect them.
- Dispose of anything containing your personal or banking details by using a cross-cut shredder or tearing into small pieces.
- Protect your internet-connected devices with up-to-date security software, and make sure you install all official software updates and security fixes on such devices.
