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Received a package from an unknown sender? Experts warn of new ‘brushing’ scam — here’s how to protect yourself this Christmas (QR code)
NY Post ^ | 12/21/24 | Brooke Kato

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 ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Computers/Internet; Conspiracy; History
KEYWORDS: brushing; fraud; package; qrcode; scam; security
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I've never scanned a QR code. Never liked 'em.
1 posted on 12/23/2024 3:55:39 AM PST by Libloather
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To: Libloather

I don’t think this is entirely accurate. I may be wrong but a QR code only can take you to a web location. Whether you install software is still up to you.


2 posted on 12/23/2024 3:58:42 AM PST by Lazamataz (The BEST birthday present I ever got WAS DONALD TRUMP WINNING IN 2024!!!)
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To: Libloather

standard procedure is for unknown packages to get blown up


3 posted on 12/23/2024 4:00:28 AM PST by ChronicMA
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To: ChronicMA

Or just leave it for porch pirates.


4 posted on 12/23/2024 4:06:34 AM PST by HombreSecreto (The life of a repo man is always intense)
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To: Libloather

I don’t even know how to scan a QR code.

It can be useful, though. I saw a video of a tee shirt with a big QR code on the back. If someone sees the shirt, and scans the code, a video of Trump dancing plays on their cell phone. I thought that was hilarious.


5 posted on 12/23/2024 4:07:02 AM PST by MayflowerMadam (It's hard not to celebrate the fall of bad people. - Bongino)
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To: Libloather

Another aspect is that once you scan you have agreed to pay for something you did not order and they can legally bill you for it even though you didn’t order it.

Back in the day they used to do this all the time with “you have to sign for this” scams. Once you sign for the package you have now agreed to pay for it whether you ordered it or not.

The biggest violator was a company named “Crane Products”. They sold Septic Tank biological breakdown products similar to Rid-X. They would send out boxes of the product to rural addresses. Then they would automatically start billing $75 a month for a “subscription” to receive their products regularly whether you wanted them or not. They were doing this even without a signature.

This is a modern version of the same.


6 posted on 12/23/2024 4:11:27 AM PST by Openurmind
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To: Libloather

Plus 100


7 posted on 12/23/2024 4:15:35 AM PST by riverrunner
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To: Libloather

This is a real scam. Don’t scan the QR code.


8 posted on 12/23/2024 4:17:09 AM PST by gattaca (Once a nation loses control of its borders, it is no longer a nation...Ronald Reagan)
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To: Lazamataz

Problem is, when you land on the location they can then automatically dump a suite of hidden tracking, fingerprinting, and malware scripts into your device. Just landing on the page is enough. This is becoming a real problem folks do not know about because they are hidden scripts.

It is getting completely out of hand and there should be a law against it. As much as I hate more new laws this is one we really do need. They are dumping garbage in our devices and browsers without any agreement to do so.


9 posted on 12/23/2024 4:21:11 AM PST by Openurmind
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To: Openurmind

Post office keeps looking for me too.


10 posted on 12/23/2024 4:23:52 AM PST by DIRTYSECRET
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To: DIRTYSECRET

“Post office keeps looking for me too.”

?


11 posted on 12/23/2024 4:29:25 AM PST by Openurmind
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To: MayflowerMadam

Saw that, too. I have too many t-shirts, but I sort of want one.


12 posted on 12/23/2024 4:33:16 AM PST by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: Openurmind

?

Texts. I don’t order anything but they’re trying to contact me like a Nigerian prince.


13 posted on 12/23/2024 4:48:23 AM PST by DIRTYSECRET
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To: DIRTYSECRET

Oh I see, thank you!


14 posted on 12/23/2024 4:52:34 AM PST by Openurmind
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To: Libloather

Never, ever, scan any qr code, ever!!


15 posted on 12/23/2024 4:53:45 AM PST by Highest Authority (DemonRats are pure EVIL)
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To: Libloather

I’ve never scanned a QR code. Never liked ‘em.

Same here. Even if I know the site there is always the thought “is it real, or is it a fake”.


16 posted on 12/23/2024 5:18:19 AM PST by CIB-173RDABN (My opinions are the result of 80 years of life, you may not like them but who cares.)
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To: Lazamataz

Nah, you’re dead-on. When you scan a QR code, it won’t even take you anywhere: it’ll show you first where you’re going. This is just another phishing scam in a different dressing.


17 posted on 12/23/2024 5:25:00 AM PST by Retrofitted
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To: Retrofitted

I thought so, I thought my understanding was correct.


18 posted on 12/23/2024 5:27:42 AM PST by Lazamataz (The BEST birthday present I ever got WAS DONALD TRUMP WINNING IN 2024!!!)
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The net is full of QR code generators. Be careful
of what you scan. Look up info -QR code generators-


19 posted on 12/23/2024 5:37:39 AM PST by deport
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To: Libloather

Thanks for posting.


20 posted on 12/23/2024 5:41:52 AM PST by GOPJ (https://files.catbox.moe/rwi6a2.jpeg //files.catbox.moe/14hch9.jpg <img src="[image url]">)
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