'I didn't order anything': Unsolicited masks arriving in US mailboxes from China

quote:

---

According to WFLA, unsolicited face masks from China are showing up in mailboxes in the Tampa Bay area. “I looked at the label and it had Shanghai, China from a certain district.

All of this information, including my cell phone number, (was) on there," Shan Sharp of Clearwater, Florida, told the news outlet. Sharp was not expecting a package. When she opened it, she found two masks inside. There was no note.

Angela Osborne had a similar experience in Houston, KHOU reports. "I noticed this odd package with Chinese writing, and noticed the sender, and said, 'I didn't order anything from China.'"

Inside was a single mask. Similarly to Sharp's experience, it contained no note. WFLA reports the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau called these incidents a "brushing" scam. The seller gets your address and your name, or sometimes even your Amazon profile, and sends you items. The unordered items are usually lightweight.

The sender then uses your name to post a false review.

"The companies, usually foreign, third-party sellers that are sending the items are simply using your address that they discovered online. Their intention is to make it appear as though you wrote a glowing online review of their merchandise, and that you are a verified buyer of that merchandise. They then post a fake, positive review to improve their products’ ratings, which means more sales for them," the BBB explains on its website.

---