Police Departments warn of ‘Brushing Scams’ ahead of holiday
Law enforcement agencies across the area are warning individuals about “Brushing Scams” this holiday.
The “brushing scam” begins when a person receives an unexpected package in the mail disguised as a gift, according to officials with St. Joseph, Missouri, Police Department.
“And when you open the package, it’s quite possible you’ll be confused,” said SJPD Captain Jeff Wilson. “You open it up and there might be a QR code in there that states basically, if you receive this by accident, scan this QR code.”
SJPD warns individuals not to scan the QR code as this can give scammers access to personal information.
The goal of the scam is to boost the seller’s ratings and sales by creating fake orders and reviews.
“The important thing is, if you receive a package that you didn’t order, do not scan any QR code,” said Capt. Wilson. “Just report it to the postal company.”
There haven’t been any reported cases of the brushing scam in St Joseph so far, but residents say they’ll be on the lookout.
“Just to give myself the best chance of them not being able to use my information, I’m not going to open it if I know I didn’t order it,” said St. Joseph Resident Eric Miller.
The Platte County Sheriff’s Office also shared some information to help residents avoid being targeted by this scam.
According to the Platte County Sheriff’s Department, the package may have no return address, a retailer’s return address and no barcode. The package could be coming from a third-party seller such as Amazon or eBay.
If anyone receives a package that they did not order, they should mark the package as “return to sender” so that the United States Postal Service can return it at no cost.
Individuals also have the option to open the package and throw the item away if they do not like it or they can keep the item.
Law enforcement wants to remind individuals that brushing scams are illegal in the United States and many other countries.
SJPD additionally warns individuals about another common scam.
SJPD said that they’re continuing to receive reports on calls made to residents with someone pretending to work with the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office regarding a warrant on the resident.
“They state that the person that they’re calling has an active warrant and you have to pay for the warrant right now, or a deputy will be sent to your house to arrest you,” said Capt. Wilson.
SJPD again explained that they will never call about an active warrant and will not request payment over the phone.
Anyone that may have been involved in one of these scams should contact the United States Postal Service or their local law enforcement agency if necessary.
