Colorado Brushing: Surprise Holiday Packages May Be A Scam

Imagine flipping through a Colorado magazine and coming across a product review with your name and likeness attached to it. You've never heard of the product, and you never submitted a review to a magazine about it. How did this happen?

Read More: Holiday Scams Coloradans Need to Be Looking Out For

Crooks using a technique called "Brushing" are trying to scam you in multiple ways. The USPS says these scammers will steal your name, your address, and even your banking information if you let them.

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What You Need To Know About Brushing

Scammers get hold of your name and address and send you an unsolicited package. They use the shipment as a source to create a fake review designed to make others think you are part of a growing wave of positive feedback about the product. It doesn't matter to them that you never made a purchase, or had any interaction with a seller.

Read More: Identify Sneaky IRS Scams With These Two Surefire Tricks

Why Do They Call It 'Brushing'

Like Dwight in The Office, the crooks that USPS are warning us about only need to create a passing resemblance of you. "Brushing" gets its name as crooks use your reputation to boost or 'brush up' their product with your phony yet uber-positive review.

Protect Yourself From Brushing in Colorado

If you find a package at the door addressed to you that you didn't order or ask for you are under no obligation to do anything. You can mark it "return to sender," and USPS will take it away. You could throw it away, or you can keep it.

Scammers may ask you to pay for the package, they may ask you to click on a link to return the package, or they may even put a QR code on the package that takes you to a site designed to steal even more of your info. Just keep an eye on your credit card statements in case an attempt is made to charge you for the package, meaning your credit card number may also have been compromised.

If the product came from Amazon, eBay, or some other third party, you can check their website and file a fraud report. You can also tell them to remove any fake reviews you may find under your name.