Packages You Didn't Order in Your Name? The Brushing Scam Explained

Short answer: packages in your name that you never ordered are usually a brushing scam. A seller ships something cheap to your real name and address so the delivery looks genuine, then posts fake "verified buyer" reviews in your name. You do not have to pay for the items or send them back. But brushing means someone has your name and address, so change your shopping passwords, check your credit and bank statements, report the seller to the marketplace, and never scan a QR code that comes in the box.

Last updated: Monday 2 November 2026.

What people are getting right now

This week on Reddit's r/Scams community, a renter in Brooklyn described seven empty USPS Ground Advantage packages in a week, each with a Vinted shipping label listing them as the buyer, although they have never had a Vinted account. Another household in the US kept receiving bracelets addressed to someone else at their address, with a label covering an older one that showed the parcel had first been sent from their own address.

Different items, same pattern: real names and addresses on parcels nobody ordered. Both posters were worried about one thing above all: does someone have my identity?

What a brushing scam is

The US Federal Trade Commission describes brushing as a scam where "a scammer uses your name to leave a fake review for that package you didn't order." The parcel "usually has something cheap and random inside, like baby wipes, toothpaste, or seeds." Scammers do it so they have "validation" of delivery, then use your name to post fake reviews that boost their sales (FTC, August 2026).

The US Postal Inspection Service adds that the sender is typically an international third-party seller trying to make you look like a verified buyer, and that a newer version puts QR code cards inside the package (USPIS).

Does it mean my identity was stolen?

Not necessarily, but take it seriously. At the very least the sender has your name and address. The Postal Inspection Service warns that "your personal information may have been compromised," and that criminals sometimes use a real address and account details to have goods delivered and then take them before the resident gets to them.

Empty parcels or parcels with labels in your name for a service you never joined, like the Vinted reports above, are a signal to check whether an account was opened or used in your name.

What to do, step by step

1. Do not pay anything. Nobody can make you pay for a package you did not order.
2. Do not scan any QR code in or on the package, and do not contact the sender. The FTC says scanning "could take you to a phishing website designed to steal information" such as card numbers, usernames or passwords.
3. Change your passwords on all your online shopping accounts, starting with the ones that store a card, and turn on two-step sign-in where you can.
4. Check your statements. Look through your card and bank statements for charges you do not recognise. Our guide to an unknown charge on your card explains what to do if you find one.
5. Check your credit. The FTC says you can check your credit report weekly for free at AnnualCreditReport.com. Look for accounts or enquiries you do not recognise.
6. Tell the marketplace. If the label shows Amazon, eBay, Vinted or another platform, report it to that platform so it can investigate the seller, and ask it to remove any fake reviews under your name.
7. Report it. In the US, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to the Postal Inspection Service at uspis.gov/report.

Can I keep the items?

Yes. The FTC says the law does not require you to return things you did not order, and you do not have to pay for them either. The Postal Inspection Service says you may keep unsolicited merchandise, mark an unopened parcel with a return address "Return to sender" so USPS sends it back free, or throw away an opened one if it is safe to do so.

Be careful with what is inside. The FTC advises caution about using an item when you do not know who sent it. If a parcel contains seeds, plants, an unknown liquid or powder, do not open or use it, and contact the authorities as USPIS advises.

When it is not brushing

• A bill or a demand for payment follows. That is a different scam. Do not pay, and report it.
• Someone comes to collect it, or a courier asks you to hand it over or reship it. Do not. That can be a reshipping scam using your address.
• A text says a parcel is waiting and asks for a fee. That is a delivery text scam. See fake parcel delivery texts from USPS, Evri and Royal Mail.

Outside the US

Brushing parcels turn up in the UK, Canada, Australia and elsewhere too. The same steps apply: do not pay, do not scan QR codes, change your passwords, check your statements, and report it. In the UK, report fraud to Action Fraud (actionfraud.police.uk). In Ghana, report it through TrustCheck's scam report so the next person is warned.