Louisiana woman gets unsolicited package from China

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) — It’s not just seeds that people randomly are receiving from China.

Mary Billingy said she got a package she did not order Saturday.

“It has my cellphone number on it, which really surprised me. It has it listed on the outside under my address.”

Billingy said she had ordered masks from Piace Shirt. However, when she opened the package that she received, it was not from the California-based company.

And instead of masks, she found fake Ray-Ban sunglasses. “I didn’t order this, and no one ordered it for me.”

Last month, people throught the United States reported getting unsolicited packages of seeds from China. The U.S. Department of Agriculture investigated and identified cabbage, hibiscus, lavender and mint as being among the plant species in the packages.

When Billingy showed her husband what she found, he immediately thought of the mysterious seeds.

“He said, ‘Seeds ... seeds from China'.”

Government officials said the packages are likely the result of a brushing scam.

And the Better Business Bureau has advised people to be wary of getting random packages.

“You are not the one who hit the jackpot,” according to a BBB article. “A scam company is the real winner.”

Companies try to use your information to create fake positive reviews to improve ratings, according to the BBB.

“The companies, usually foreign, third-party sellers that are sending the items are simply using your address that they discovered online,” the article says. “Their intention is to make it appear as though you wrote a glowing online review of their merchandise, and that you are a verified buyer of that merchandise.”

Consumers are allowed to keep the packages but should change their account passwords and keep a close eye on credit reports and credit card bills, according to the BBB’s website.

Billingy said she initially was worried about the sender stealing her information, but she has not seen any suspicious activity on her accounts so far.

Recipients of such packages can otherwise notify the retailer, the BBB advises.

The U.S. Postal Service website said people can throw away any unwanted items.

For further questions about unordered packages, contact your local BBB, visit BBB.org and report suspicious activities to the BBB Scam Tracker.

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