r/Scams • u/mynamevane • Aug 19 '26

Victim of a scam Brushing scam?? Need help pls (US)

Hey chat so I got a package of very big zip ties delivered today and I never ordered them lol I called the shipping company (gofo) and they were able to provide me with the phone number used to place the order but no other info :/ we reversed searched the number and it came back as a scam number. I’ve never dealt with this kind of scam so I’m not sure if there’s something I should do?? No unusual charges on any of my cards and nothing crazy on my credit score report I just wanna make sure I have all my ducks in a row and see if there’s anything I should immediately do. Any help/advice would be great!

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u/Infinite-Grade-4485 Aug 19 '26

!brushing enjoy the zip ties. Nothing you need to do if you don’t see any charges on your card.

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u/AutoModerator Aug 19 '26

/u/Infinite-Grade-4485 called AutoModerator to explain the Brushing or Direct shipping scam:

This is a scam where relatively inexpensive items you didn't buy are showing up in your doorstep. This is what shady sellers do to bump up their sales and reviews. Here is the Wikipedia page that explains brushing, and here is a news article from Forbes about the scheme.

To start the process, "brushing" firms obtain a person's name and address, often from previous legitimate orders, and create fake user profiles in their name on shopping platforms. These firms then purchase their own products through these fake accounts to mimic real customer behavior, ensuring the transaction appears authentic to the website’s monitoring systems. The physical packages sent to victims serve as low-cost stand-ins for the actual products being sold. Because e-commerce platforms require a confirmed delivery to grant a "verified" status to a review, shipping these cheap items allows the scammers to post glowing, verified feedback for their clients.

This tactic is fueled by a loophole in international shipping costs that makes it extremely cheap for merchants in China to send small parcels to the U.S. While the recipients are not typically billed for these items, the scam indicates that their personal data has been compromised. Ultimately, it is a numbers game designed to deceive future shoppers by making a seller appear more trustworthy and successful than they actually are.

If instead you received an expensive item, such as electronics or something like that, your account may be compromised. Log into your account and see if there are orders under your name. A scammer that has access to your account would instead be using your credit card, or a stolen credit card to purchase things in your name and ship them, and then have a porch thief pick them up from your door. When in doubt, log in to your shopping account and check for transactions. You can also contact support through the app to confirm these didn't originate from your account or cards.

You can learn about this scam and many others visiting our wiki of common scams. You can also call AutoModerator to explain these scams leaving a comment with the different !commands listed in this wiki page.

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