Face Masks From China Showing Up Unsolicited In Mailboxes
If you're thinking random seeds from China in the mail were odd and creepy, face masks from China are showing up unsolicited in mailboxes.
So far these masks have shown up in Florida. News 10 reports the envelopes are from a business scheme called brushing:
The FTC and BBB say this is a scheme called brushing. Sellers get your address, username or even Amazon profile, and send you unsolicited items, usually lightweight and cheap."
There have also been reports of jewelry coming in strange envelopes.
Sometimes the package is a box of facemasks, while some people report receiving only a single facemask.
Why do you get this spam in the mail?
These companies use your name to post false consumer reviews to boost their sales online. The more reports a buyer sees, the more likely they are to purchase the product.
This scheme isn't expected to cost you money, but some unknown company could be using your likeness to boost their presence and reputation online.
The FTC recommends that you change all e-commerce passwords if you receive packages from China that you didn’t order."
The mystery over those strange seeds being sent from China is solved....sort of.
The USDA is calling the mailed seeds a 'brushing scam' too. The USDA received reports from 22 states and sent out a warning to not plant the seeds and notify officials of the packages. After investigating, the seeds were identified as 14 different species, including, mustard, cabbage, morning glory and some herbs.
It is important the USDA collects and tests as many seeds as possible to determine whether these packets present a threat to U.S. agriculture or the environment.