Better Business Bureau Warns of 'Brushing Scams'

Surprise package on your doorstep? What could be wrong with free products being delivered to your home?

Turns out, you could have been targeted for a recent scam called "brushing." A brushing scam occurs when scammers send unordered packages to people, using their address to create fake verified reviews and boost product ratings.

These items, often inexpensive and lightweight, help third-party sellers appear more legitimate and increase sales.

In brushing scams, third-party online sellers create fake orders, and deliver them to addresses found online. They then act as the receiver, writing a fake 5-star positive online review about the product to increase sales.

The Better Business Bureau is receiving complaints from people getting towels, jewelry boxes, pet toys and more that they never ordered. The items are typically small and have no return address.

To Protect Yourself

Notify the retailer. Brushing and fake reviews are against Amazon’s policies, so contact Amazon Customer Service if this happens to you and the product appears to come from Amazon. They will investigate and take action. If you prefer to contact the business by phone, be cautious about searching for support phone numbers.

Attempt to identify the sender. If you can identify the sender of unordered packages, consider checking for potential false reviews in your name - and ask for the reviews to be removed.

Check your account for recent orders. Some targets of brushing scams can be deluged with unordered packages, creating a serious problem. If this happens, consider whether to refuse package delivery at your home address and temporarily direct items that you did order to a package acceptance service.

Change your account passwords. This may be a sign that personal information has been compromised, and to improve account security, keep a close eye on credit reports and credit card bills.

You are allowed to keep the merchandise!

The Federal Trade Commission says you have a legal right to keep unordered merchandise.