Mysterious Face Masks From China Arrive in Florida Mailboxes

Florida residents have reported receiving mysterious packages from China containing face masks. “I looked at the label and it had Shanghai, China from a certain district,” Shan Sharp, of Clearwater, told WFLA. “All of this information, including my cell phone number, [was] on there.”

She added that she “was afraid to even open it after I saw it. I didn’t want to keep it in my house."

The news of the packages comes as mysterious seeds were delivered to random homes across America in recent weeks.

The FTC and BBB say this is a scheme known as “brushing,” where sellers acquire people's addresses, usernames and even online shopping profiles, and send them unsolicited items that are generally lightweight and cheap. Sometimes the schemers could post fake reviews posing as the person sent the items.

The face masks fit the description of what the schemers could be sending and since the world is still embattled in the COVID-19 pandemic, they are an easy item to ship, authorities said.

The FTC recommends that persons change all e-commerce passwords if they receive packages from China that they didn’t order.

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