Freebies from Amazon ('Brushing' scam)

I still don't get why this is easier than making second fake account buy something from them self, then give themselves a 5-star review.

but cool thanks for taking the time to help me understand this troublesome and deeply disturbing scam.
 
I'm not 100% what happens either..... what does this bit relate to ?

And finally, when crime like this goes on, there is the unseen cost. Somebody has to pay for the lost merchandise and the shipping costs. That person is likely to be you, the Amazon customer, in higher costs for the things you buy online!
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do they use dodgy cards or something to purchase these items they send to randoms??
 
I don't understand it myself. The reviews must be really valuable to them, but surely not enough for them to bear the cost of sending out free goods to randoms. It does sound that somehow the cost is on Amazon rather than the scammer.
 
No, never had this happen to me.

Have had freebies from Amazon though back when they were first starting, things like reusable lidded cup (Amazon branded) and even a mini Jenga set (again branded)
 
builder22 said:
my understanding was that they hope you talk abou whatever you recieve with your friends in the hope they buy it, or you buy another
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The end goal in many cases is for the seller to be able to pose as a verified purchaser and write a glowing review of their own product. Gaming the reviews system in this way pushes their products up higher in Amazon search results — regardless of whether the product is “good” or not.
 
Never had anything like this. A few years ago I did find someone else's package inside mine. I reported it to Amazon and they told me to keep it. It was a Sandisk USB stick. Still using it today.
 
Jono8 said:
The ability to read the article that the OP linked to.
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The article is trash tbh... the answer was provided by this poster:

PiKe said:
The person who ordered it with the OPs delivery address is then able to leave a glowing review for their own product.
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The article on the other hand just contains nonsense and doesn't actually give an explanation of the "scam", in fact it talks about items with no amazon order number which wouldn't therefore work with regards to what PiKe has pointed out.

https://clark.com/scams-rip-offs/amazon-scam-brushing-warning-deliveries-you-didnt-order/

clark.com said:
First, if you’re “brushed,” it indicates that info like your name, shipping address and possibly phone number has been compromised. It’s possible that this might happen when you’re dealing with less-than-reputable third-party sellers on Amazon.
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I think those things are already compromised by the phone book and electoral roll, that a third party has those particular details and additionally knows that I once ordered item X is hardly a compromise.

clark.com said:
Second, and even more insidiously, what happens if a phantom seller ships contraband to your home? You could find yourself charged with possession of illegal drugs or banned weapons — not the phantom seller.
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This is nonsensical - firstly it is rather unlikely that someone is just going to send you free drugs, secondly they could do this to someone at any random address it is utterly irrelevant to this supposed scam, thirdly it is very unlikely you'd find yourself charged in relations too it and also... see the second point again.
 
In the last few months I have been sent a heart rate monitor, dog hair clippers, keyring, Samsung phone case, essential oils, face masks & a battery powered eyelash curler. All addressed to a weird made up name at my house. It's freaking the missus out, I'm just giving to my neighbours.
 
My more recent deliveries have been somewhat less exciting, mainly just phone cases now and one batch of retractable key chain belt things...

My little free bluetooth speaker has been good for the kitchen mind :)
 
Could you figure out who is doing it by searching for all the items you've received, and pinpointing the seller who has all of them?
 
My mate had a pair of unsolicited walking boots delivered to his house, then a couple of days later I had a different pair delivered to mine. Not sure if it was a scam though as when I Googled them, they were actually quite expensive!
 
Antipasti said:
My mate had a pair of unsolicited walking boots delivered to his house, then a couple of days later I had a different pair delivered to mine. Not sure if it was a scam though as when I Googled them, they were actually quite expensive!
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Are those boots made for walking? Is that just what they'll do?
 
You've had 10 items delivered from Amazon for free? I would be more concerned about my personal info than anything else.

Time to move house.
 
Can it happen on eBay as well? A few years ago I had 5 model warplanes on my door step. The packaging had the eBay logo on the outside but there was no invoice inside so I couldn't tell who the seller was. I left it for a month in case anyone contacted me. Nobody did, so I sold the 5 planes separately for a few quid each.
 
PapaLazaru said:
In the last few months I have been sent a heart rate monitor, dog hair clippers, keyring, Samsung phone case, essential oils, face masks & a battery powered eyelash curler. All addressed to a weird made up name at my house. It's freaking the missus out, I'm just giving to my neighbours.
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not sure what my neighbours would think of me if i turned up and offered them batter-powered eyelash curlers. :-\
 
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