Thieves are trying to steal your identity by sending you items you didn’t order. A Deerfield Beach woman contacted 7Investigates about unwanted packages turning up in her mailbox. Courtney Allen has the story.
On a recent trip to her mailbox, Kim Watson got a package she wasn’t expecting.
Kim Watson: “I didn’t order anything but I opened it and then it was empty, and then I didn’t think anything of it and I threw it away.”
But the mystery package was just the first of many.
Kim Watson: “Then the next day, I got two and it just kept becoming more and more, and one day I got 11 of them in the mail.”
Most times the packages were empty, but some had unusual items inside.
Kim Watson: “And my son opened one up because he wanted to see what was in it, and there was a 2025 mullet hair calendar.”
Confused, Kim looked up the return address online and found she wasn’t alone.
Kim Watson: “I finally looked this person up on Facebook and it says that it’s somewhat of a scam.”
Cinthya Lavin with the Better Business Bureau of Southeast Florida says Watson is a victim of a popular scam tactic called “brushing.”
Scammers send packages to random addresses. Each package has a QR code on the outside, which the scammers hope the recipient will scan.
Cinthya Lavin: “You receive an envelope or a box in the mail. It could have something, it could have nothing, but it encourages the consumer or the receiver to scan a QR code.”
Lavin warns scanning the code could put you at risk.
Cinthya Lavin: “You could be downloading malware onto your phone. You could just be giving the scammer data.”
The Better Business Bureau says if you aren’t expecting the item, just throw it away.
Cinthya Lavin: “The scammer is just trying to see if you’re going to access the information. Maybe if you look for the name of the company that they pretend to be and start clicking around, maybe they prompt you to enter your personal information.”
The Better Business Bureau’s scam tracker shows hundreds of complaints this year in Florida about this scam. Many report the same name and return address as most of the packages Watson received.
Kim Watson: “It’s a little bit annoying. I mean, and they tell you to keep checking your bank accounts and everything else, and so I’m hope that nothing comes of it.”
The Better Business Bureau is asking anyone who gets one of these packages to report it to them. They are hoping to track down and stop those responsible.
Cinthya Lavin: “The BBB partners with the [Federal Trade Commission] and with the Attorney General of Florida to be able to work on these cases. The more reports we receive, the more the local authorities can do something about it.”
If you have been a victim of this, we have a link you can report it here.
Courtney Allen, 7News.
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