Received a package from an unknown recipient? Experts warn of new ‘washing’ scam – here’s how to protect yourself this Christmas

Do not ignore this warning.

As a flurry of holiday gifts arrive on people’s doorsteps this season, unsuspecting shoppers may also receive packages addressed to them that they never ordered.

In a trick known as “brushing,” cybercriminals will send packages with no return address that contain a QR code, prompting the confused recipient to scan the code to find out who sent the package.

Unbeknownst to the recipient, the code can expose sensitive information from their smartphones or download malicious software onto the device.

“A scammer’s QR code can take you to a fake page that looks real but isn’t. And if you go to the fake page, the scammers can steal any information you enter,” said a blog post by the Commission Federal Trade.

“Or the QR code can install malware that steals your information before you know it.”

Now, law enforcement agencies across the country are warning local residents to stay vigilant this holiday season.

Nancy Kowalik of Mullica Hill, New Jersey, said she received “a really nice skin care gift set” but couldn’t figure out who it was from.

“There was a QR code,” she told a local ABC News outlet, adding that she had seen warnings about brush scams. “And I’m paranoid so I don’t scan anything. But I kept asking friends and no one claimed to have sent me that gift.”

Sometimes, brush scams are also used to boost seller ratings on sites such as Amazon, according to USA Today.

Sellers are trying to increase their ratings, Jennifer Leach, associate director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer and Business Education, told USA TODAY.

“Dishonest businesses and scammers are sending all kinds of unsolicited junk in the mail — and then writing good reviews about their business on your behalf,” Jennifer Leach, associate director of the FTC’s Bureau of Education, told the paper. of Consumers and Business. , adding that it could negatively impact businesses that “don’t cheat to get reviews.”

It also warned that buyers’ personal information or accounts have been compromised in some way, or that the scammer has created a new account using your name and address.

Melanie McGovern, a spokeswoman for the Better Business Bureau, advised checking and securing accounts, such as Amazon or other frequently used shopping sites, she told 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 media that third-party sellers 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 “holding payments to source, suspension of selling privileges and bad reporting”. law enforcement actors.”

“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 that package came from.”