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Online sellers leverage big eCommerce platforms like Amazon and eBay to gain decent reviews and false credibility.
A ‘Cartier’ ring was sent to Justine Mintern, thinking it was from a secret admirer with awful taste in jewellery. As she examined the parcel she did not order, it turned out fake.
The package seemed off and creepy, she said. So she further investigated and found out about brushing.
“I discovered that brushing was a thing, and realised that this must be an example of brushing,” Ms Mintern mentioned.
Mass.gov said in one of their articles, “Brushing is when a scammer finds a consumer’s personal information and ships goods that they did not order. The fraudster then writes reviews in the recipient’s name with the objective of falsely boosting the ratings or reputation of a company.”
“This scheme is profitable for the scammer because high ratings likely increase sales, and the products sent out are cheaply produced and easy to ship. While such a scam may seem harmless, this type of scam is dangerous because it means your personal information has been compromised and has been used to misrepresent your beliefs,” they added.
Simon Smith, a cybercrime expert whose practice frequently focuses on complicated criminal cases with dire ramifications for the victims, advised individuals not to become alarmed if they received something in what appeared to be a brushing scam.
Ms Mintern claimed that after realising the ring was fake, she reviewed her credit card history and was relieved to discover that there had been no unusual activities.
“It was confusing to know what to do about it, assuming this is a scam,” she said.
“And it’s confusing to know whether to report it — it’s hard to report to the police ‘I received a gift that I don’t think I’m entitled to’.”
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