West Carrollton — As packages are being delivered to porches all over the country, local police are warning people of a new scam, called brushing.
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News Center 7′s Mason Fletcher speaks with police about how to stay safe on News Center 7 at 5.
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A brushing scam is when a person receives a package from an unknown sender, and the package prompts the receiver to scan a QR code in order to obtain their personal information.
Some of the packages actually contain a small gift, but the danger is in scanning the QR code.
The scam packages look exactly like a package you’d expect to get.
“Online retailers send out these packages that are received by unsuspecting customers, essentially,” Chris Fairchild with the West Carrollton Police Department said.
The packages don’t say where the gift is from, and claim that by scanning the QR code you can find out who sent it. Instead, the QR code brings the user to a questionnaire with personal questions.
“A lot of times it’s just to bolster their reviews. They put them in these people’s names without them knowing it,” Fairchild said.
According to the Attorney General, there are red flags that can tip you off to a scam.
- The link asks you for personal identifiable information
- You are pressured to act immediately
- You’re told you’ve won something you didn’t enter to win, or you’re unexpectedly being given money.
“There’s nothing that says you can’t keep that item that showed up on your porch,” Fairchild said. “However, I would be leery on scanning any QR codes.”
The West Carrollton Police Department and the Ohio Attorney General’s Office say the best protection is to always be wary of giving away personal information, and if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
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