Posted on 12/23/2024 3:55:39 AM PST by Libloather
Don’t brush off this warning.
As a flurry of holiday gifts arrive on people’s doorsteps this season, unsuspecting shoppers could also receive packages addressed to them that they never ordered.
With a scam known as “brushing,” cybercriminals will ship packages with no return address that contain a QR code, prompting the confused recipient to scan the code to reveal who sent the package.
Unbeknownst to the recipient, the code could expose sensitive information from their smartphones or download malicious software onto the devices.
“A scammer’s QR code could take you to a spoofed site that looks real but isn’t. And if you log in to the spoofed site, the scammers could steal any information you enter,” a blog post from the Federal Trade Commission stated.
“Or the QR code could install malware that steals your information before you realize it.”
Now, law enforcement agencies across the country are warning local residents to stay vigilant this holiday season.
Nancy Kowalik from Mullica Hill, New Jersey, said she received a “really nice gift set for skincare,” but couldn’t figure out from whom.
“There was a QR code,” she told a local ABC News outlet, adding that she had seen warnings of brushing scams. “And I’m paranoid so I don’t scan anything. But I kept asking friends and no one ever claimed sending that gift to me.”
Sometimes, brushing scams are also used to boost seller reviews on sites such as Amazon, according to USA Today.
The sellers are trying to boost their reviews, Jennifer Leach, associate director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer and Business Education, told USA TODAY.
“Dishonest businesses and scammers are sending all sorts of unordered junk in the mail – and then writing good reviews for their business in your name,”
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
I soak mine in Water for 24 hours.
I only accept packages from certain Nigerian princes.
In fact, I’m waiting for one now with a large ‘gift’.............
MY $20 LAND LINE PHONE CANNOT PERFORM THAT CHORE....
Such text messages should be forwarded to 7726.
Fortunately I have a cheap phone from Wal-Mart that won’t scan a QR code. 😉
My porch is over 500 feet from the road, so if a package actually arrives on my porch, it’s been recorded by multiple cameras (locally and cloud), as well as my dogs have alerted any/every one in the house someone was here.
I have in over 20 years, only had 1 thing stolen off my porch, and that was a 5500 watt generator. And I’m pretty sure I know who stole it (it was before I had the cameras, so at least 10 years ago).
+1
A generator? Ouch. Feel your pain on that one.
Kudos to you for a great spread! That kind of privacy is nice.
Yeah, 8.32 acres... wired, and wireless cameras... motion sensitive lights, I just need to add some game cameras in some specific trees to complete the early warning.
Same here. I don't use my iPhone for anything but phone calls and text messages to confirm Dr. appointments, and reorder my scripts. I've never even downloaded any third party apps, nor apps for any businesses, restaurants, or rewards programs. Got no use for them.
I’m so olde I don’t know what a QR code is, much less how to scan it.
I read the same thing about parking signs that have QR codes. Scammers paste malicious QR codes over the real one and charge your credit card for thousands of dollars.
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