Dodgy Amazon sellers are sending scarves to random addresses as part of a new 'brushing' scam

Dodgy sellers are sending scarves to random addresses to artificially inflate sales volumes and create fake reviews on Amazon.

If you’ve received a ‘Suzhichou’ branded scarf in the post, it’s likely that you’ve been targeted by a 'brushing' scam.

Read on to find out how these scams work and how to report them.

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Suzhichou brushing scam

Brushing scams involve dodgy sellers on online marketplaces such as Amazon submitting fake orders on their own items.

After submitting an order, the seller sends a cheap, low-quality product – such as one of these scarves – to a random address. This generates a tracking number on the marketplace. Once the recipient receives the item, the scammer will be able to leave a fake five-star review.

These 'sales' bolster the seller’s figures, helping their products rank higher in search results. Ultimately, this results in more people seeing and buying their poor-quality products, under the impression that they’re highly rated.

A variation of the scam involves you ordering an item from a marketplace but being sent a completely different item. In these instances, the fraudster sends out a cheap product with the same tracking number that was generated by your actual order.

In 2021, we reported on how more than a million households may have been targeted by brushing scams.

Does a scammer have my details?

If you receive one of these items, it means a fraudster has got hold of your name and address. While this may sound worrying, you don't need to panic. 

The fraudster could have got your details from any one of a number of places.

For example, some shoppers have reported receiving these scarves after ordering a different item from a Facebook marketplace store based in China.

Alternatively, your address may have been taken from a publicly available source, been compromised as part of a data leak or been accessed as a result of entering your details into an unsecure website.

What to do if you've been targeted by a brushing scam

If you receive an unsolicited item from an Amazon marketplace seller, report the package to Amazon using its ‘Report Unwanted Package’ form.

You should also change your Amazon password and set up two-factor authentication, if you haven’t already done so.

The unsolicited package indicates that some of your personal information has been compromised, so you should take steps to check that everything is secure. 

In particular, you should check your bank account for any unusual activity and keep an eye on your credit report.