BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. — You didn’t order it. You didn’t want it. So, why is it showing up at your house? People across the United States are finding packages in their mailboxes without an explanation. One Blue Springs woman is part of that group. The package she received came from Wuhan, China.
When most people order something online, they want it as soon as possible. However, when Tanya Hillyard opened her mail, she was less than pleased.
“I instantly panicked,” Hillyard said. “You hear everything over there starting from Wuhan. I opened it in my house. I panicked. My children, and my husband. It was really kind of nerve-racking.”
The tiny orange bag is part of a brushing scam. Sellers send you an item you didn’t want and then they are able to make a positive review under your name. It boosts their profile as a seller and helps them seem more legitimate to people actually looking to buy from them.
“It’s just scary that they have your address, your phone number, and then it shows up and they can just do that, If that’s what’s happening,” HIllyard said. “They can just write a review by simply shipping something to your address. It’s just weird.”
The Better Business Bureau says this is bad news. Out there on the internet your name, address, and phone number may be up for grabs to scammers.
Many people have reported getting seeds in packages marked jewelry they never ordered. The BBB says it has received reports from people who got humidifiers, vacuum cleaners, jewelry and other merchandise.
“It makes me nervous I guess that they have my address and they shipped something to me,” HIllyard said. “I’m definitely keeping an eye on all my accounts to make sure they didn’t get ahold of anything like that.”
Tanya says whoever sent her the package may write a review for her, but she has one of her own.
“Please don’t do it again,” HIllyard said. “I don’t want any of your junk.”
If you received a similar package what can you do? The BBB says make sure to notify Amazon or whatever site the package originated from if you can figure it out, and make sure to change your passwords. Also, you can keep the item you got in the mail, but you’ll probably just want to throw it away.
