A warning has been issued to Amazon customers due to an elaborate online shopping scam involving surprise parcels showing up on people’s doorsteps.
The new scam doing the rounds, according to consumer rights watchdog Which?, has resulted in numerous people in the UK being sent Suzhichou scarves without having ordered them in what is known as a brushing scam.
These involve dodgy sellers using marketplaces online like Amazon to submit fake orders with their own items.
READ MORE: Amazon sends warning email to all customers about scams and ignoring it could cost you
After putting in a fake order, the seller will then send out a low-quality product, like the scarf, to a random address, according to Which?.
Once the scarf is received then the scammer will be able to post a fake five-star review which in turn will boost the seller’s figures resulting in a higher ranking search meaning more people will buy their products as they appear higher rated.
There is a bigger worry, however, as receiving a free scarf is not the worst thing to happen, with the watchdog warning that those being targeted may have previously given out personal details without knowing or realising.
Despite your financial data being completely safe from scammers, being targeted by the scam may mean the dodgy seller has got a hold of your name and address.
According to the watchdog, this information may have been gathered in a number of ways, either after purchasing a different item online, through your details being on a publicly available source, or as part of a data leak.
There is also another variation of the brushing scam involving ordering an item from a marketplace but being sent a completely different item.
"In these instances, the fraudster sends out a cheap product with the same tracking number that was generated by your actual order," the watchdog said.
If you have fallen victim to this scam you can report the unwanted package to Amazon using an online form.
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