![]() Plus, online marketplaces usually give more exposure to products with higher sales. However, the scammers can make a hefty profit when orders start pouring in.Īccording to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), a large-scale brushing scam can boost sales numbers since unsuspecting consumers are more likely to trust “verified” reviews. These insincere sellers often send their targets low-cost, lightweight products that don’t cost much to ship. Scammers make more money (and keep on scamming) Try an identity theft protection service to monitor your finances and alert you to fraud. ✅ Take action: If scammers can easily find your personal data, they could take out loans in your name or empty your bank account. If you start receiving strange packages – or any other strange mail – you might be the victim of identity fraud. They could also have access to sensitive data such as your account passwords and banking information.Ĭriminals can exploit this information in many ways, from opening a credit card account in your name to changing your mailing address and intercepting important documents. If you’re part of a brushing scam, it means a scammer knows your name and address. It shows that hackers have already stolen your personal information While you might enjoy the idea of receiving free Amazon packages, these scams ultimately put you at risk. Fake reviews make online shopping more risky.īrushing scams aren’t a victimless crime.You end up paying higher costs for low quality products.Scammers make more money, and continue scamming.It means hackers have stolen your personal information.□ Related: Watch Out For These 7 Awful OfferUp Scams → 4 Ways Brushing Scams Can Hurt You Because if they have your name and address, then they most likely can also find more sensitive data such as your Social Security number, passwords, banking information, and medical data (which could lead to medical identity theft).īe especially careful with your SSN as it's not always possible to change your Social Security number - even after identity theft. What matters is that it was available to them. In the end, it doesn’t matter where scammers found your information. While less likely, scammers can use a technique known as shoulder surfing to watch you enter your sensitive information in public. They shoulder surf your sensitive information.Due to the number of data breaches in recent years, there’s a good chance your personal information is available on the Dark Web. Your personal data was stolen in a breach.Even doing a simple Google search for your name could come up with your home address and other sensitive information. Your information may be available in the Whitepages or on social media. So how do scammers get access to your private information? Here are a few ways that brushing scammers get your data: It’s knowing that your private information was easily found online. The real danger of a brushing scam isn’t in receiving a product you didn’t order. How Do Brushing Scammers Steal Your Name and Address? If a company is struggling for social proof, it can use a brushing scam to falsify sales and give itself fraudulent positive ratings. They’ll be penalized and potentially removed from the platform if they participate in a scheme to gain fake reviews. Amazon sellers aren’t allowed to send packages without a valid order. More positive reviews wield powerful influence over people’s purchasing decisions online. Sites like Amazon rate and rank sellers according to the feedback and ratings received from previous customers. □ Related: 14 Amazon Scams You Didn't Know About (Until Now) → Free Amazon Package? It's Probably a Scam Sellers can repeat this process with hundreds and thousands of fake accounts, using fake reviews to drive real purchases.The review will be labeled as a "verified buyer" because the actual purchase is legitimate and under a real name (i.e., your name).Once the package is delivered, the scammer uses the fake account to post a glowing five-star review.Brushing scam vendors then use this account to purchase their own product and send it to your address.A seller creates a fake account using your name and address.Try Aura’s identity theft protection free for 14 days to secure your identity against scammers. ✅ Take action: If shady Amazon sellers can find your email and address, your bank account, email, and other online accounts could also be at risk.
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