Do not brush off this warning.
As a flurry of Christmas presents arrive on people’s doorsteps this season, unsuspecting shoppers can also find packages addressed to them that they never ordered.
Using a scam called “brushing,” cybercriminals will send packages without a return address that contain a QR code, prompting the confused recipient to scan the code to reveal who sent the package.
Regardless of the recipient, the code can reveal sensitive information from their smartphones or download malware onto the devices.
“A scammer’s QR code can take you to a fake site that looks real but isn’t. And if you log into the fake site, the scammers can steal any information you enter.” a blog post from the Federal Trade Commission stated.
“Or the QR code can install malware that steals your information before you know it.”
Now, law enforcement all over the country is warn the locals to be vigilant this holiday season.
Nancy Kowalik of Mullica Hill, New Jersey, said she received a “really nice skincare gift set,” but couldn’t figure out who.
“There was a QR code,” she said a local ABC News outletadding that she had seen warnings of brush scams. “And I’m paranoid so I don’t scan anything. But I kept asking friends and no one ever claimed he sent me that gift.”
Sometimes brush scams are also used to boost seller reviews on sites like Amazon, according to USA Today.
Sellers are trying to increase their reviews, said Jennifer Leach, deputy director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer and Business Education. USA TODAY.
“Dishonest companies and fraudsters send all kinds of garbled junk in the mail — and then write good reviews for their business in your name,” Jennifer Leach, deputy director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer and Business Education, told the outlet, adding that it can negatively affect companies that “don’t cheat to get reviews.”
She also warned that shoppers’ personal information or accounts have been compromised in any way, or that the fraudster has created a new account with your name and address.
Melanie McGovern, spokeswoman for the Better Business Bureau, advised checking and securing accounts, such as Amazon or other frequently used shopping sites, she said a local Fox News outlet in New Jersey.
She also told USA Today that recipients should notify the shopping site or company that a fraudulent order has been received.
An Amazon spokesperson told the store that third-party vendors are strictly prohibited from sending unsolicited packages to customers, and explained that the online retailer takes swift action against sellers who violate the policy, such as “withholding payments, suspending selling privileges and reporting bad actors to law enforcement.” “
“What people need to do is not be so curious about it,” McGovern said. “Don’t scan a QR code and start entering information if you’re not sure where the package came from.”
