Amazon shoppers are being warned of a new scam, after cheap scarves have started arriving at peoples' houses despite customers never placing an order for them.
Consumer experts at Which? are warning that a number of people are currently receiving unsolicited 'Suzhichou' scarves, despite never hearing of the brand or placing an order for one.
It's all said to be part of a brand new 'brushing' scam, which allows the dodgy seller to leave a five-star review on their own profile to in-turn boost their seller rating.
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The Mirror reports that in the move, sellers submit fake orders so that they can create illicit and misleading reviews. By generating fake sales, the seller becomes ranked higher when it comes to search results, allowing them to in-future potentially sell more products.
Which? said: "Ultimately, this results in more people seeing and buying their poor-quality products, under the impression that they’re highly rated."
In most cases, it doesn't specifically mean that your profile has been hacked - however, it could mean that a fraudster has somehow got a hold of your name and address. There are a number of ways in which this can happen.
Which? suggests that some people have reported falling victim to the scam after purchasing a different item online, where as other suggestions include that your details have been taken from a publicly available source, or have been accessed as part of a data leak.
The group also explained that there is another variation of the malicious 'brushing' scam, in which you physically order a particular item from a marketplace but receive something completely different. Which? added: "In these instances, the fraudster sends out a cheap product with the same tracking number that was generated by your actual order."
If you feel as though you've fallen victim to the scam, then you can report the unwanted package to Amazon using this form. As a precaution, you should also change your passwords to protect your personal details going forward, and also check your bank account for suspicious activity.
An Amazon spokesperson said: "Brushing affects all online marketplaces. At Amazon, we have robust processes in place and we are relentless in our efforts to detect and prevent abuse from impacting customer experiences. Sellers are prohibited from sending unsolicited packages to customers and we will continue to improve the sophistication of abuse prevention in our store and take the appropriate actions like suspending or removing selling privileges."
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