Online scam 'brushing'

[imastawka]

How online scam 'brushing' works and why COVID-19 is to blame for its resurgence

Have you recently received a mysterious parcel in the mail that you didn't order and that wasn't a gift?

Maybe it was hair ties, toothbrushes, cleaning products, or even seeds.

Chances are you may have been caught up in an online e-commerce scam called "brushing".

While getting free stuff sounds great, it comes at the cost of your privacy and personal data.

What is brushing?

Brushing is when people receive cheap, unsolicited packages in the mail from an online marketplace, such as Amazon.

But the actual seller – the individual or company that sent you the item – is usually a third party that uses those websites to sell its products.

The seller effectively makes a fake shopper account using your name and address, buys the product from itself, and then sends it to you.

Americans have recently reported getting sent bluetooth speakers, hair ties, car cleaning products, torches, empty jewellery bags and smart phone repair kits, to name a few.

More recently, it's been tiny seeds.

.......So the stuff I get sent is free? Cool!

Not quite. It comes at a cost.

Your personal data, stolen from a data breach, has been used in the process — including your name and address.

Personal data is valuable to scammers.

They can can use it to access your bank accounts or set up a new ones, take out loans and steal superannuation, or create fake accounts on social media to attack others.

Getting free stuff in the mail is comparatively harmless, although it does indicate your personal information could be in the hands of digital criminals.

......Organic items like seeds present a biosecurity risk, and anyone who receives them unsolicited in the mail is asked to report it to the Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment on 1800 798 636.

If you think a scammer has your account details, passport, tax file number, licence, Medicare number or other personal identification details, the ACCC says to contact your bank, financial institution, or other relevant agencies.

This is just an edited overview.  For more info, read here -

https://www.msn.com/en-au/money/markets/how-online-scam-brushing-works-and-why-covid-19-is-to-blame-...

A couple of people reported, on the other boards,getting parcels that they didn't order, from Singapore.  Someone stated they received seeds.

[domino-710]

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@imastawka wrote:

Won't give up on the Buying board.

Drivel is just pouring out about Tippy.

*sorry about the typo in my previous post

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Unforgivable - so you should be. lol

Good to see you back on the lower deck - if not yet the top deck.

I hope all is getting better.

[imastawka]

Yeah, thanks Dom.  A tad better now the blood is boiling

[imastawka]

More than 260 unidentified, unsolicited, mystery seed parcels have been found in letterboxes around Australia this year, raising serious concerns about biosecurity breaches.

Despite authorities using detector dogs and x-ray machines to intercept 45,000 "risky" seed parcels at mail centres across the country, the mystery seeds were reported to the Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment by concerned community members, prompting fears more seeds could have escaped detection.

............It was suspected some of the mystery seeds had been posted in a brushing scam.

More here -

More mystery seeds turn up uninvited in Australian letterboxes (msn.com)

[countessalmirena]

I've never been gladder to have never received a mystery parcel.

If I did receive unsolicited seeds through the mail, I pledge to report it to DAWE.

[lil-missy_123]

what is the solution? plenty of people complaining but nothing to say what to do if this happens to you.........................................

[padi*0409]

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@lil-missy_123 wrote:

what is the solution? plenty of people complaining but nothing to say what to do if this happens to you.........................................

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You were told in the Opening Post what to do :-

"If you think a scammer has your account details, passport, tax file number, licence, Medicare number or other personal identification details, the ACCC says to contact your bank, financial institution, or other relevant agencies."

Edit. If that's not enough for you there's plenty of information on-line about it.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=Online+scam+%27brushing%27+

[advantan3]

I have an Australia Post tracking number for something that I can’t find an order for. With the ABN mentioned, linked to eBay Gmhb whatever. 

Another detail is REMOVED. I can see others have searched this name but no results specific to this. It’s now 23 days since this apparent order and the AUPost hasn’t been updated. I’m in Melbourne VIC. 

[rogespeed]

If organised enough would give  local reps criminally-minded moral justification to do other unsolicited actions using your credentials and now approval

I suggest mark as " item not ordered " and post return to sender as a statement of non-acceptance and so hopefully reduce any further intrusions

[countessalmirena]

@rogespeed, the scammers involved do not provide a return address - or at least, not a valid one.

If an RTS did result in sending back the item, it wouldn't reduce by a single iota the breadth and details of the compromised data / intrusions.

imastawka's opening post explains what should be done by any person receiving an item in this online brushing scam. The real risk here isn't "Oh, I received something I didn't order", but rather "Oh, my data has clearly been breached."

[sg_3032]

I paid in USD and in excess amount for ayurveda products but all the products are coming as fraud, no label , old bottles and very dirty packaging with plastic tap put by hand. I threw all the products as products lokks give me scare, contacted the ebay and seller still awaiting response, same ABN used where as the seller are all different, it's large scale scam by ebay.