Police are warning people to be on their guard after a series of “brushing” scams in Staffordshire.
The incidents see online sellers boost their ratings by using addresses to create orders on sites such as eBay and Amazon for their own products and then sending cheap items made to look like more expensive ones.
The scammers then write positive reviews about their items in a bid to boost their feedback ratings to try and boost genuine sales.
A Staffordshire Police spokesperson said:
“Recently, we have received a number of reports about people receiving cheap items of jewellery made to look like more valuable jewellery which they have not ordered.
“We also attended to a resident, who had had six plastic washing machines delivered. These are both examples of brushing.”
Staffordshire Police spokesperson
Anyone who receives an unsolicited package through a brushing scam can contact police on 101.
