Invisible Fraud: The Global Rise of the Brushing Scam

What is a brushing scam?

Brushing is a deceptive tactic used in online retail where a seller creates fake purchases, arranges shipments to real or fabricated addresses, and sometimes posts or purchases glowing reviews to make products appear more popular and trustworthy than they really are. The recipients of these unsolicited packages are often unaware they are part of a scheme; their names and addresses may have been used without permission.

How brushing scams work (step-by-step)

1. Create fake orders: A seller or third party places low-value orders using real customer accounts, throwaway accounts, or bots.
2. Arrange shipment: The seller ships inexpensive or empty packages to real addresses, fabricated addresses, or drop points to generate a legitimate-looking tracking record.
3. Post reviews: Some brushes include leaving positive reviews from the accounts used to place orders, or buying reviews through an intermediary.
4. Exploit platform algorithms: With an appearance of growing sales velocity and positive feedback, product listings gain better placement in search results and recommendations, which can increase real sales.

Why it’s called "invisible fraud" and why it’s rising globally

It’s "invisible" because the fraud happens behind the scenes — order records, tracking numbers, and review counts look normal to consumers and many platform users. The rise is driven by intense competition on e-commerce marketplaces, the value of good search placement, the relative ease of creating accounts and shipping low-cost parcels, and the global reach of modern fulfillment and postal networks. As marketplaces scale, manual oversight becomes harder, creating opportunities for bad actors to exploit automated trust signals.

Real-world impacts

• For consumers: Unexpected packages (sometimes containing low-value or unrelated items), potential privacy violations when personal data is used without consent, and confusing account histories.
• For honest sellers: Unfair competition, skewed marketplace metrics, and damaged trust in product reviews and rankings.
• For marketplaces and platforms: Additional fraud investigations, reputational harm, and the cost of refunds, takedowns, and improved fraud-detection systems.
• For logistics providers and warehouses: Increased handling of unwanted parcels, strain on returns processing, extra shipping costs, and complexities in cross-border customs and disposal.

Common signs a listing or shipment may be linked to brushing

• Sudden surges in positive reviews for obscure products or sellers.
• Many reviews from accounts with little other activity or from accounts in unexpected geographies.
• Orders with strange delivery patterns: many low-value items shipped to the same set of unrelated addresses.
• Tracking histories that show parcels shipped but no meaningful recipient engagement (no returns, no legitimate purchase records tied to a recipient).

How marketplaces, sellers, and logistics providers can prevent and mitigate brushing

Organizations must combine policy, technology, and operations:

• Tighten seller onboarding: Stronger identity verification, proof of business, and KYC checks for new sellers reduce the ability of bad actors to create multiple storefronts.
• Transaction and review monitoring: Use behavioral analytics and anomaly detection to flag unusual order patterns, clusters of low-value shipments, or rapid review spikes tied to specific SKUs.
• Limit automated review posting: Only allow reviews from verified purchases and monitor for accounts used solely to post reviews.
• Audit shipping data: Cross-check manifests, tracking numbers, and carrier logs for signs of coordinated low-value shipments and reconcile with return/receipt patterns.
• Work with carriers and warehouses: Share suspicious address patterns and coordinate to stop bulk shipments that match known brushing indicators; implement weight and content verification for high-risk parcels.
• Enforce penalties: Ban repeat offenders, remove fraudulent reviews, and recover ill-gotten gains where possible.

Practical steps for consumers and small sellers

• If you receive an unexpected parcel: Do not assume it was a mistake by a friend. Check your account order history and contact the marketplace or seller to report it.
• Protect account information: Use strong passwords, enable two-factor authentication, and be cautious about sharing shipping addresses publicly.
• Sellers: Monitor your own listings and reviews. If you suspect a competitor is using brushing, report patterns and provide evidence to the marketplace.

Legal and regulatory considerations

Brushing can violate anti-fraud laws, consumer protection statutes, and marketplace terms of service. Regulators in several jurisdictions have investigated brushing because it misleads consumers and distorts market competition. Consequences for perpetrators can include account suspensions, fines, forced refunds, and criminal charges where deliberate deception and financial harm are proven.

Examples and context

Brushing has been reported across global marketplaces. In some cases, sellers shipped trivial items to many addresses to create a trail of legitimate-looking orders. In other schemes, intermediaries offered services to write reviews and generate artificial sales velocity. Because the parcels are often low value, the immediate monetary gain per order is small; the real reward comes from improved visibility and increased legitimate sales that follow.

Reporting and response: what to do if you suspect brushing

1. Document the evidence: Keep order IDs, tracking numbers, screenshots of reviews, and any account details.
2. Report to the marketplace: Use the platform’s fraud or seller complaint channels and attach your documentation.
3. Contact your carrier if a shipment is suspicious or you suspect misuse of your address.
4. If personal data was used without consent, consider reporting to your local data protection authority or consumer protection agency.

Key takeaways

Brushing scams are a form of invisible e-commerce fraud that artificially inflates sales and review metrics by creating fake orders and shipments. They harm consumers, honest sellers, marketplaces, and logistics providers. Detection relies on pattern analysis and collaboration between platforms, carriers, and enforcement agencies. Consumers can protect themselves by monitoring accounts and reporting unexpected parcels, while marketplaces should strengthen onboarding, monitoring, and penalties to reduce the incentive for brushing. With rising global e-commerce, awareness and coordinated defenses are the best tools against this growing form of fraud.