What is a brushing scam?
A brushing scam occurs when an online marketplace seller ships you unsolicited packages and then uses your name and address to post fake verified-purchase reviews for their own products, boosting their ratings fraudulently.
Last reviewed: 10 June 2026
Explanation
Receiving a parcel you never ordered can be alarming, but in a brushing scam the package itself is not the attack on you — it is evidence that someone has your personal details. Third-party sellers on major e-commerce platforms obtain names and addresses from data breaches or scraped records, then send cheap items (seeds, phone accessories, small toys) to real addresses to create a 'delivered' order record.
That order record allows the seller to post a product review under your account name with a 'verified purchase' badge, which carries more algorithmic weight than unverified reviews. The goal is to inflate their product ratings to appear trustworthy and attract more buyers.
For the recipient, the more serious concern is why someone has your address. It may indicate your personal data has appeared in a breach. The packages themselves are typically harmless, but the underlying data exposure could facilitate more targeted fraud — junk mail is the least of it.
If you receive unexplained packages, check whether your marketplace account has been compromised, change your password, enable MFA, and notify the platform. In some jurisdictions you are legally entitled to keep goods you receive unsolicited.
Common red flags
- You receive packages from unfamiliar senders containing cheap or random items you never ordered
- Package labels show your name and address but an unknown sender or a foreign logistics label
- You notice reviews appearing on your marketplace account that you never wrote
- Multiple small parcels arrive over days or weeks
What to do now
- Check your marketplace account login history and change your password
- Enable multi-factor authentication on shopping accounts
- Check if your email address appears in known data breaches (free tools like HaveIBeenPwned)
- Report the packages to the marketplace — they have teams investigating brushing operations
- You are not required to return or pay for goods you did not order
- Monitor your credit report in case the data exposure is broader
Frequently asked questions
Is it illegal to send unsolicited packages to people for fake reviews?
Yes — in most jurisdictions this violates consumer protection laws and marketplace terms of service. The FTC (US) and Trading Standards (UK) have pursued cases against brushing operations, and major platforms ban sellers found engaging in it.
Do I need to do anything with the packages I received?
No legal obligation to return them in most countries — unsolicited goods can generally be kept. The more important action is securing your accounts and finding out where your data came from.