U.S. Postal Service warns public of unexpected packages showing up on doorsteps

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is warning consumers to be aware of scams connected with packages delivered to people who did not order them.

Con artists use these packages, often billed as containing free merchandise, to perpetrate various “brushing scams.” They steal personal information and/or use the victim’s name in fake reviews that are intended to boost product sales, according to the inspection service.

These criminals often live in foreign countries and obtain the names of recipients from the internet. The packages might not have return addresses or could falsely represent retailers, according to the inspection service.

Personal information may be obtained via “quishing,” a term for QR code phishing. The package might include a QR code that the consumer could scan to supposedly find out more information about the sender or the product. When scanned, the QR code links the user to a bogus website that looks legitimate, according to the inspection service.

The website might resemble that of a real bank, government organization or other institution. Consumers often are tricked into providing identifying information that could be used by criminals perpetrating various scams and other illegal activities, according to the inspection service.

The scammers also might use a person’s address and account information to have merchandise delivered to a victim’s home before the victim is able to intercept the package.

The inspection service offers the following tips for consumers who receive unsolicited packages:

Consumers are not obligated to pay for unsolicited merchandise; If there is a return address and a package is unopened, mark it “return to sender” and the Postal Service will return it for free;Throw away the merchandise or keep the merchandise if you wish;Change account passwords;Monitor credit reports and credit card bills for illegal purchases;Notify authorities if the package contains food, plants, unknown or suspicious substances; File fraud reports on the websites of retailers that have been used by scammers and ask to have fake reviews using your identity removed.

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