Woman receives over 100 Amazon packages she never ordered, gets to keep them all
In Virginia, USA, a woman named Cindy Smith received numerous Amazon packages without ever placing any orders. These packages were addressed to someone named “Lixiao Zhang” but delivered to Cindy’s address in Prince William County. This strange incident turned out to be a “seller scam” or “brushing” scheme. In this deceptive practice, sellers send unsolicited packages to random people to create fake positive reviews for their products.
The intention is to boost their product ratings and appear more reliable to potential buyers. Cindy and others who receive such packages should contact Amazon’s customer service to report the issue, change their passwords as a precaution, and monitor their financial accounts. They are not obliged to return the unordered items and can keep or donate them if they wish. Reporting the scam helps Amazon take action against these fraudulent activities and safeguards other users from falling victim to similar tricks.
“They came from everybody,” Cindy Smith told CBS News affiliate WUSA. Both FedEx and Amazon, among other delivery services, were responsible for bringing in numerous boxes to her doorstep. The influx of packages became so overwhelming that they eventually blocked access to her front door, making it difficult for delivery drivers to continue their regular service. WUSA shared footage revealing the extent of the situation, showing dozens of Amazon packages piled up on Smith’s doorstep and stacked in her basement.
Upon opening the unexpected packages, Smith discovered they contained an astonishing quantity of items, including over 1,000 headlamps, 800 glue guns, and a variety of children’s binoculars. Eager to find a solution for the surplus of unwanted items, she decided to take matters into her own hands. Smith took to driving around town with the excess headlamps, glue guns, and binoculars, generously giving them away to anyone interested in having them. This act of distribution was her attempt to make use of the items rather than letting them go to waste.
“I received a lot of strange looks from people,” Cindy Smith said. “I would drive around with headlamps and glue guns in the car, and I gave them to everybody I met,” she continued. Determined to find a purpose for the unexpected items, she generously distributed them throughout her community. Her neighbors, dog shelters, veterinary clinics, and even the staff at Burger King were among the beneficiaries of her impromptu gift-giving spree.
Initially, Smith believed that she had fallen victim to a “brushing scam,” a deceptive tactic where sellers send unordered packages to random addresses and then write fake reviews on behalf of those recipients to enhance their product ratings.
However, by giving away the surplus items, she found a way to make the best of the situation and bring some joy to others. Her actions turned an odd and puzzling experience into a heartwarming gesture of kindness for her community.
According to WUSA, there is a possibility that Cindy Smith fell victim to a different kind of scam rather than the typical brushing scam. This alternative scam involves vendors attempting to dispose of unsold items from Amazon fulfillment centers.
CJ Rosenbaum, a New York Attorney who represents companies selling on Amazon, shed light on the situation by explaining the motive behind this scam. Sellers located in China are allegedly selecting random addresses and sending their products there to clear them from Amazon’s warehouses. This approach is adopted because it is more cost-effective for these sellers to do so.
In this elaborate scheme, unscrupulous sellers, often based in China, attempt to circumvent the costs and inconveniences associated with storing their surplus inventory in Amazon’s fulfillment centers. To achieve this, they resort to sending unsolicited packages to random recipients, like Cindy Smith, whose addresses are plucked at random. By doing so, the sellers hope to offload their excess stock without having to pay storage fees or bear any other expenses related to keeping the products within Amazon’s warehouses.
The process begins with these sellers fabricating fake orders for their own products, using random names and addresses as recipients. They then proceed to ship their goods to these unsuspecting individuals across different locations. The chosen recipients have no prior knowledge of these packages and never placed any orders.
For recipients like Cindy Smith, the experience can be perplexing and even concerning. Receiving an influx of mysterious packages, marked for someone else but sent to their address, raises questions about how and why this is happening. Upon investigation, it becomes evident that they are victims of this “fulfillment center offloading scam.”
The motives behind this scam are financial in nature. By dispatching their products to random addresses, these unscrupulous sellers avoid the costs of storing their items in Amazon’s warehouses for extended periods. This is particularly prevalent among overseas sellers who find it cheaper and more convenient to unload their products in this deceptive manner rather than legitimately promoting and selling them on the platform.
For the scammers, the risk of scrutiny from Amazon and potential account suspensions is outweighed by the potential savings they accrue by eliminating storage expenses and boosting their profits through deceptive practices.
Recipients who find themselves entangled in this scam play a crucial role in bringing it to light. Remaining vigilant and observant when they receive unexpected packages is vital. They should promptly report the incidents to Amazon’s customer service and provide any relevant information that can aid in the investigation. Additionally, notifying appropriate authorities ensures that the perpetrators are held accountable for their fraudulent activities.
By taking these proactive steps, recipients not only protect themselves from potential harm but also contribute to safeguarding the integrity of online marketplaces like Amazon. Their cooperation assists Amazon in identifying and taking action against the unscrupulous sellers responsible for perpetrating such scams.
Moreover, it aids in protecting other innocent users from falling prey to similar deceptive tactics in the future. The collective effort of both recipients and online platforms is essential in maintaining trust, transparency, and consumer confidence in the e-commerce ecosystem.
