Beware of the Brushing Scam

[jazzy]

Beware of the Brushing Scam

A Brushing Scam has been showing up in many states as we get nearer to Christmas.A “brushing scam” is when someone receives an unexpected gift or item not ordered in the mail from a place like Amazon or other company. Examples of gifts being reported include, rings, bracelets, necklaces, Bluetooth speakers, etc. The gift will have the recipient’s address, but not include the sender's information or be from a known retailer. When the recipient opens the package to see what it is and possibly who sent it, there is a QR code to scan to find out who sent the gift.

Once the code is scanned, all the information from that phone will be sent to scammers. They receive all access to the phone. All personal and financial information is accessible to the scammers and often the victim's bank accounts are drained. The gift can be kept or thrown away, but the QR code should NOT be scanned for any reason. QR code scams are nothing new. Inform your family members about the scam and avoid scanning any unknown QR codes included in the package.

 

[Pearl]

That's been a big thing down here all summer! An older couple I clean for fell for it TWICE!! Second time his bank account got hit. Both times the police told him to get a different phone number and change every password and email address!

 

[Haertig]

They could only (theoretically) send any sensitive information that you had on your phone. If someone is dumb enough to put all their bank account access data on their phone in an unencrypted manner, and then go scan an unknown QR code, I'm not sure there's going to be much help for them.

I guess ALL QR codes are "unknown" unless you view their text before going to the website they direct you to! Unfortunately most phones, when you scan a QR code, automatically go to the website contained in the QR code. This is very bad behavior IMHO. If you are security conscious, you wouldn't go scanning QR codes with your phone in the first place. But if you did, you'd do it using a separate, specialty app that displays the contents of the QR code rather than following it. Or you'd put your phone in airplane mode (and turn off bluetooth as well) when you scanned a QR code with the intention to display its contents, not follow it.

If Amazon left an unexpected package on my doorstep, I'd just leave it there for a while so they could come back and get it when they realized their mistake. If it was actually addressed to me, I'd first check my Amazon account to make sure there was no charge or record of it for me to get charged. Then I might open it and enjoy whatever it contained. If there was an invoice inside and I could determine it's rightful owner from that, I'd deliver it to the correct place if it was in my vicinity, or call Amazon and report it it it should have gone elsewhere, farther away. But most certainly I wouldn't scan any codes contained within. And if there were actually instructions inside directing me to scan a QR code (for any reason), red flags on that! If the unexpected package contained an electronic device that wanted to connect to my WiFi - Ha! - like that's gonna happen.

 

[jazzy]

i say ditch the phone thingys and lets go back to the stone age

 

[Mountain trapper]

Beware of the Brushing Scam

A Brushing Scam has been showing up in many states as we get nearer to Christmas.A “brushing scam” is when someone receives an unexpected gift or item not ordered in the mail from a place like Amazon or other company. Examples of gifts being reported include, rings, bracelets, necklaces, Bluetooth speakers, etc. The gift will have the recipient’s address, but not include the sender's information or be from a known retailer. When the recipient opens the package to see what it is and possibly who sent it, there is a QR code to scan to find out who sent the gift.

Once the code is scanned, all the information from that phone will be sent to scammers. They receive all access to the phone. All personal and financial information is accessible to the scammers and often the victim's bank accounts are drained. The gift can be kept or thrown away, but the QR code should NOT be scanned for any reason. QR code scams are nothing new. Inform your family members about the scam and avoid scanning any unknown QR codes included in the package.

I don't know how to spell QR code, and not sure what it even means.

 

[Supervisor42]

I say ditch the phone thingys and lets go back to the stone age.

You will find me there.

I never hopped on the stupid-train, and have always had a flip-phone.
No internet, no stupid scamming 'scanning' for me.

 

[Pearl]

I don't know how to spell QR code, and not sure what it even means.

Example from Wikipedia. It means Quick Response Code!

 

[Mountain trapper]

View attachment 170059
Example from Wikipedia. It means Quick Response Code!

I've seen that symbol around before. I always thought it was some kind of inventory scanner thing.

 

[Amish Heart]

I've never scanned one.