Don’t Be A Victim Of A Brushing Scam: What You Need To Know

Ah, it's the most wonderful time of the year. And it's the most dangerous time of the year for being scammed. Every day this month, I have received multiple calls from scammers. Even the tired, old extended car warranty call popped up. Do people still fall for that?

It is amazing how scammers come up with new ways to rob the public of their hard-earned money and identity. One such scam that seems to be happening at this time of the year is a Brushing Scam.

What Is A Brushing Scam?

According to the Oneida County Sheriff's Office, a brushing scam is when you receive a package you did not order. The package contains the correct name and address, but will not contain a return address.

The package may look legit like it is coming from a well-known retailer, when in fact it is coming from a scammer. You may think it's not an issue to receive a package you did not order, but what it could mean is that your private information may have been leaked, and you could be targeted with cyber-attacks and attempting to steal your identity. Don't be fooled - Brushing Scams are dangerous.

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Brushing scams can include asking the receiver of the package to write a fake review of the product. It is one way the scammer can obtain and use your personal information for misleading online reviews. That fake review is designed to boost the product's ratings and company sales.

Also, some of these unexpected packages may contain a QR code, and if you scan it with the intent to contact the sender or to register that product, your personal information will go directly to the scammer.

How To Avoid A Brushing Scam

The Oneida County Sheriff's Office advises the public to avoid these Brushing scams in a couple of ways.  Do not scan any QR code that may be on the package. Be sure to notify the retailer where the product supposedly came from, decide what to do with the package, update your passwords, and check your bank statements for signs of fraud.

You may wonder why scammers engage in Brushing Scams. It is because most items sent, are inexpensive to buy and ship. It is worth the cost to use personally identifiable information or PII. The Oneida County Sheriff's Department notes that, if your personal information is exposed for the scammer to use it to commit fraud, other scammers can likely do the same to commit other crimes or identity theft.

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