Brushing Scam: The Mystery Packages You Never Ordered

What is a Brushing Scam?

Brushing is a deceptive practice used in online marketplaces where a seller (or a third-party service) places fake orders using real shoppers' names and addresses, then ships low-value or empty packages to those addresses. The goal is to generate verifiable shipments and tracking numbers that appear as legitimate sales, which the seller then uses to post positive reviews or to improve visibility and trust metrics on the marketplace.

How the scheme works — step by step

• Fake order creation: The fraudster uses harvested usernames, addresses, or bot-created accounts to place orders on their own listings so the orders appear authentic.
• Fulfillment: Cheap items, sample products, or even empty packages are shipped to the real addresses. Tracking numbers are generated and marked as delivered.
• Review generation: Using the confirmed shipment, the seller posts positive reviews tied to those accounts (or purchases review services that do this at scale).
• Metric manipulation: The sudden spike in orders, confirmed deliveries, and positive reviews boosts rankings, search placement, and consumer trust, attracting real customers.

Why sellers do it

Marketplaces often rank listings by sales velocity, conversion, and recent positive feedback. Brushing manipulates those signals to improve search ranking, qualify for “best seller” labels, or maintain eligibility for programs that require proof of order fulfillment. In many cases the cost of shipping cheap items is lower than the business benefit of higher visibility and sales from unsuspecting shoppers.

Types and variations

• Direct brushing: The seller uses genuine customer accounts (often obtained illicitly) and ships small items to those addresses.
• Third-party brushing services: Companies offering to fulfill fake orders and post reviews on behalf of sellers.
• Address-stuffing/identity brushing: Using stolen personal information to create orders, which raises additional privacy and identity risks.
• Review farms: Coordinated groups that place or post reviews en masse using brushing as proof of purchase.

Real examples

People around the world have reported receiving unsolicited packets of costume jewelry, foreign cosmetics, or even nothing but packing materials. Recipients often discover the practice when they find an unfamiliar tracking number in their mailbox or when a positive review appears under their account for an item they never ordered.

Who is harmed — and how

• Consumers: Confusion and privacy concerns are common. If personal information was used without consent, there may be identity theft risk or nuisance from unwanted deliveries.
• Honest sellers: They suffer from unfair competition as their listings are disadvantaged by manipulated metrics.
• Marketplaces and buyers: Overall trust in review systems and search rankings is degraded, which can reduce buyer confidence and long-term marketplace value.

Signs you might be a brushing victim

• Receiving small, low-value packages you did not order.
• Seeing reviews posted under your account for items you never purchased.
• Mysterious tracking numbers or notifications for shipments you did not authorize.
• Unfamiliar charges on accounts tied to the marketplace (less common, but possible if accounts were compromised).

What to do if you receive an unsolicited package

• Do not assume malicious intent immediately — some items are legitimate samples or cross-border shipping errors.
• Check your order history on the marketplace and look for matching order IDs or seller names.
• Report the incident to the marketplace (use their fraud or customer-service link) and provide tracking numbers, package photos, and any suspicious account activity.
• If personal data was used without your consent, consider reporting to local consumer protection authorities or identity-theft services; in the U.S., the FTC accepts reports of unsolicited goods and identity misuse.
• Monitor financial accounts and change marketplace passwords if you suspect account compromise.

Prevention and best practices — consumers

• Use strong, unique passwords and two-factor authentication on marketplaces and email accounts.
• Regularly review account order histories and saved payment methods for unknown activity.
• Immediately report unsolicited deliveries or strange reviews appearing on your profile.
• When in doubt, keep records (photos, tracking numbers) until the marketplace resolves the issue.

Prevention and best practices — sellers and marketplaces

• Sellers should avoid buying “review” services or manipulating orders; short-term gains can lead to account suspension, fines, or legal action.
• Marketplaces need to monitor abnormal order patterns, enforce strict review-authenticity policies, and verify fulfillment signals to detect brushing.
• Maintain transparent customer-service channels for recipients of unsolicited packages to report and for sellers to be investigated fairly.

Legal and regulatory context

Many marketplaces explicitly ban brushing and fake-review schemes in their terms of service. Regulators in several countries have investigated and taken action against sellers who manipulate reviews or use consumers’ addresses without consent. Enforcement varies by jurisdiction and by the scale of the fraud.

Common mistakes

• Consumers: Ignoring unsolicited packages entirely — reporting helps platforms detect and stop large-scale operations.
• Sellers: Using cheap third-party services for reviews without vetting them — this risks account suspension and reputational damage.
• Marketplaces: Relying solely on automated metrics without human review — coordinated brushing operations can sometimes bypass naïve detection systems.

Why it matters

Brushing undermines the integrity of online marketplaces by making sales and review data less trustworthy. That harms consumers, honest sellers, and platforms that rely on accurate signals for search ranking and buyer confidence. Awareness, clear reporting channels, strong authentication, and vigilant enforcement are key to reducing the practice.

Final friendly tip



If you ever get a mystery package, take a quick photo, check your account, and report it — you might be helping stop a larger scam while protecting yourself and other shoppers.