Amazon, Walmart, eBay, other sellers, targeted with scam that could compromise your accounts

Packages filled with holiday presents are landing on front porches and in mailboxes in New Jersey and across the country.

But so are packages that contain nothing but a square of cardboard, coming from a residential address in Nebraska.

What gives?

It’s a scam in which third-party sellers from online marketplaces such as Amazon, Walmart and eBay — the three largest — try to boost their rankings in the hopes of getting more people to see their online stores and buy their wares. And it’s a scam in which your account has probably been compromised, authorities say.

It’s called a “brushing scam,” and it’s happening around the country, including to an NJ Advance Media reader who shared the envelope they received. Take a look on Twitter for the hashtag #emptypackage or do a quick Google search. You’ll see plenty of cardboard squares photographed with shipping envelopes that purport to come from the same Nebraska address.

Here’s how these operations work.

A person receives a package they didn’t order. Sometimes it actually has a product in it, but often the envelope is empty, or as we’re seeing today, it contains something lightweight, like those little square pieces of cardboard. (Remember during the pandemic when people started receiving unsolicited packages of seeds with address labels from China? This was another brushing scam, authorities said.)

Amazon, Walmart, eBay, other sellers, targeted with scam that could compromise your accounts

Packages like this one, received by a New Jersey homeowner, are typical of mailings used in "brushing scams."

“The sender of the item may pose as a domestic seller or address, but the seller is usually located overseas,” U.S. Postal Inspection Service spokesman Greg Kliemisch said.

NJ Advance Media was unable to reach anyone at the Nebraska address, so it’s unclear if an actual seller lives there or if someone was using an address with which they have no affiliation.

After delivering packages, the sender can say, “Hey, look, we have a super high record of successful package deliveries.” Then they use the delivery as evidence to marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, eBay and others that you, the recipient, are a verified buyer of their merchandise.

“In some circumstances, the seller obtains the customer’s online profile and writes a positive review unbeknownst to the recipient of the mailing,” Kliemisch said.

How could they use your name to write a review? While they somehow got your personal information, including your address, they also got your login and password information for Amazon or other sites, which they use to post the review.

PROTECTING YOUR ACCOUNTS

If you’ve received unsolicited merchandise, an empty envelope or one of those cardboard squares, immediately change your password for any online marketplaces.

To see if any reviews were posted on your Amazon account without your knowledge, log in to your account, then click “Accounts & Lists.” Under “Ordering and shopping preferences,” click “Your Amazon profile.” Here you’ll see any reviews you’ve left over time. If you see one that wasn’t you, delete it. Then be sure to change your password.

On eBay, under “My eBay,” click “summary.” In the upper right hand corner, you’ll see your eBay name with a hyperlink. Click that and you’ll see a tab for “feedback,” which shows any ratings and reviews you’ve left. If you see one you didn’t leave on the site, remove it and change your password.

Walmart’s online review process is a little different. Its website says it will send consumers an email inviting them to review both the seller and the product in the weeks following a purchase, and you have to use the links provided the email to access the review forms. It’s unclear if you can remove reviews once they’re posted, and Walmart didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Postal Inspection Service recommends you then change your account passwords for any online stores that you regularly visit.

“Closely monitor your credit reports and financial statements for any suspicious transactions or new accounts,” Klemisch said. “Contact your known third-party seller website/s to ensure that no one used your account to file a fake review under your name or profile.”

WHAT ARE STORES DOING ABOUT IT?

Amazon reviewed the envelope received by the reader who contacted us, along with its tracking number, and said it didn’t originate from Amazon or its third-party sellers. eBay said it would take a look, but it didn’t have an answer in time for publication. Walmart didn’t respond to our requests. And the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said it would investigate.

But what do retailers do about these kinds of packages, which could lead to phony reviews, potentially giving shoppers false confidence in a seller?

On its website, Amazon says third-party sellers are prohibited from sending unsolicited packages to customers and it asks consumers to report any to Amazon customer service.

“Amazon investigates reports of `brushing’ and takes the appropriate action on bad actors that violate our policies,” it said. “Amazon may suspend or remove selling privileges, withhold payments, and work with law enforcement.”

Fake reviews are a big problem.

About 42% of reviews on Amazon in 2020 were fakes, according to an analysis of 720 million reviews by Fakespot, which has an app and a Chrome extension that analyze reviews for authenticity. (Amazon said Fakespot’s analysis included misleading information — something Fakespot founder and CEO Saoud Khalifah denied at the time — leading to the app’s controversial removal from the Apple Store. A new version has since been returned to the store.)

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-CT, cited that report when he wrote to Amazon earlier this month, demanding Amazon do more. “While Amazon has taken some steps to curb these false reviews, it is abundantly clear that the company is not doing enough to end this dishonest practice that harms consumers,” he wrote.

In a statement in response to the letter, Amazon said it takes steps to prevent fake reviews.

“Amazon relentlessly innovates to allow only genuine product reviews in our store. Last year, we invested more than $900 million and employed more than 12,000 people who were dedicated to protecting customers and our store from fraud and other forms of abuse,” it said.

Amazon said it receives millions of reviews each week, and “uses a combination of sophisticated technology and skilled investigators to analyze them before publication.” It stopped more than 200 million suspected fake reviews in 2020 alone, it said.

Amazon isn’t the only retailer plagued by fake reviews. Last year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent warning letters to more than 700 retailers, including Amazon, Walmart and eBay, about fake reviews and other “deceptive endorsements” that could lead to penalties of up to $43,792 per violation.

The lesson? Read reviews with a grain of salt when you shop.

And one more thing: If rather than a cardboard square, you receive an item that you didn’t order, you don’t have to return it, the FTC said.

“By law, companies can’t send unordered merchandise to you, then demand payment. That means you never have to pay for things you get but didn’t order,” the agency said. “You also don’t have to return unordered merchandise. You’re legally entitled to keep it as a free gift.”

You can report unwanted or unordered packages to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint and to the Postal Inspection Service at uspis.gov/report.

Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.

Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KPMueller.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.