BEAVERCREEK — The Beavercreek Police Department is warning the community of brushing scams in the area.
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A brushing scam is when a person receives packages containing various sorts of items that were not ordered by the recipient.
While the package may be addressed to the recipient, there is not a return address or the return address could be for a retailer.
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The sender is usually an international, third-party seller who has found the recipient’s address online.
The intention is to give the impression that the recipient is a verified buyer who has written positive online reviews on the product.
These scammers write a fake review in your name to help fraudulently boost or inflate the products’ ratings and sale numbers - which is done to hopefully increase the actual sales of the product.
Since the merchandise is usually cheap and low-cost to ship, the scammers perceive this as a profitable pay-off.
This may seem like a victimless crime, but in reality, your personal information may be compromised. Scammers often obtain personal information through nefarious means and with ill-intentions.
They could use it for a number of scams and other illicit activities in the future. The fake review made in your name might prompt people to purchase worthless stuff.
In some instances, bad actors may also use a person’s address and account information to receive merchandise and then steal it from the home before the resident is able to intercept it.
The Beavercreek police department shared some tips on how to keep your personal information safe and what to do if you receive unsolicited merchandise:
- Don’t pay for the merchandise
- Do not be swindled or talked into paying for it.
- Return to sender
- If marked with a return address, and it is UNOPENED, you may mark it “RETURN TO SENDER” and USPS will return it at no charge to you.
- Throw it away
- If you opened it, and do not wish to keep it, you may simply dispose of it in the garbage, as long as it is safe to do so.
- Keep it
- If you opened it and you like it, you may keep it. By law, you may keep unsolicited merchandise and are under no obligation to pay for it.
- Change your account passwords
- Your personal information may have been compromised.
- Closely monitor
- Closely monitor your credit reports and credit card bills.
- Notify Authorities
- If the merchandise is organic (i.e., seeds, food, plants) or an unknown liquid or substance, notify the proper authorities and follow their instructions.
- Notify the Retailer
- If unsolicited merchandise arrives from Amazon, eBay, or another third-party seller, go to that company’s website and file a fraud report. Ask the company to remove any fake reviews under your name.
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