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# That package you didn't order? It might be a "brushing" scam
- URL: https://logbook.watchstander.tech/that-package-you-didnt-order-it-might-be-a-brushing-scam/
- Published: 2026-09-07T16:29:49.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-07T16:29:49.000Z
- Author: Andrew Berry
- Tags: Scam Alert

Here's a strange one that's been catching people off guard: a package shows up at your door that nobody in your house ordered. Maybe it's a cheap phone case, a handful of seeds, a random gadget. There's no note, no explanation. Your first thought is usually, "Well — free stuff?"

I'd gently pump the brakes on that.

What you're most likely seeing is called a **brushing scam**, and while the package itself is harmless, what it signals is worth paying attention to.

**Here's how it works.** Shady online sellers want more five-star reviews to climb the rankings on big shopping sites. So they create fake buyer accounts and ship cheap items to real names and addresses — often ones pulled from a data leak. Once a package is "delivered," they post a glowing review under your name as a so-called verified purchase. You never bought anything, but on paper it looks like you did, and you loved it.

**So why should you care, if the stuff is free?** Because for the seller to pull this off, they needed your name and address — and sometimes more. Getting a brushing package is a quiet signal that your information is floating around somewhere it shouldn't be. It's a bit like finding a stranger's footprints in your yard: the footprints themselves don't hurt you, but you'd want to know how they got there.

**If it happens to you, here's what I'd actually do:**

1. **Don't scan any QR code or call any number** printed on the package or a note inside it. That's the one way a harmless package turns genuinely dangerous — some brushing packages now include a QR code "to see who sent it," and it leads somewhere you don't want to go.
2. **Keep the free item if you like** — you're legally allowed to keep unordered merchandise, and returning it is more hassle than it's worth.
3. **Change the password on the account tied to that address** — usually your main shopping account — and turn on two-factor authentication if you haven't. If your info is out there, you want the actual accounts locked down.
4. **Check whether your details have leaked.** There are free, reputable tools that tell you if your email has shown up in a known data breach. This is exactly the kind of thing I'll walk people through in a future post — or in a [one-on-one session](https://watchstander.tech/services/security-consulting.html) if you'd rather have someone do it with you.

A mystery package is a small thing. But it's the kind of small thing that's worth reading correctly — because it's often the first quiet hint that something bigger deserves a look.

Stay sharp out there. **Andrew**