Have You Gotten Unsolicited Packages from Amazon Since Prime Day?
These deliveries may be part of a scam.
How much shopping did you do on Amazon Prime Day? Or, I guess, a better question would be who much damage did you do on Prime Day? Experts estimate that the online retail giant sold $6 billion worth of goods. Chances are, with that amount of ordering, you may have forgotten what you bought until it arrives on your doorstep.
But what if you received things that you didn't buy.
I know, it sounds like a Christmas in July miracle to have a package with your name on it arrive and it's something you didn't pay for. However, according to Market Watch, these packages may be part of a scam. People across the nation have been reporting these deliveries to Amazon, which can be quite a headache when it comes to figuring out how these deliveries ended up on your porch. Luckily, these customers haven't been charged for the items.
It's called "brushing" and it's not anything new.
The theory is that third party sellers are obtaining your name and address before purchasing their own items and sending them out as gifts. The product ends up on your doorstep and these sellers can now leave a review on that product. Not only does this allow them to increase the number of reviews on their items, but also the review is now listed as a "verified buyer" review since they made the purchase as a gift.
It's a ploy to get their products to appear higher in Amazon's search results with more positive reviews and more sales.
So, you get something free delivered to you door, what's the big deal? The big deal is that your contact information is not only being obtained, but used in an inappropriate way. Could this mean there is a security issue at Amazon? If I were you, I would continue to report issue like this so we all get better service in the long run.
In the meantime, I guess I'll be putting my new car cleaning kit to good use.