A free box of merchandise from Amazon or another company that lands on your doorstep might seem like a good thing.
But the Better Business Bureau says to think again.
It’s actually a scam known as “brushing,” and it’s recently been popping up nationwide.
The companies behind the scam, usually foreign third-party sellers, intend to make it appear you wrote a glowing online review of the merchandise -- that you never ordered.
But the fake online review angle is only one way they benefit. The scam also falsely increases their sales numbers.
Increased sales numbers, even though padded with fake purchases, look good for the company and help lead to more sales.
But for victims of the scam, the real concern is that someone has enough of your personal information that they were able to have the items sent to you as if you purchased them.
And once the information is online, it could be used for crooked purposes.
If you receive a package you didn’t order, the Better Business Bureau recommends you notify the retailer, attempt to identify the sender and check your account for recent orders.
To be safe, you should also change your passwords.