In recent weeks Australians have started receiving unsolicited packages from China containing seeds, as have random people in other countries. It’s part of a scam called “brushing” and it’s not quite what it seems.
“Brushing is a deceitful technique sometimes used in e-commerce to boost a seller’s ratings by creating fake orders,” says Wikipedia. According to USA Today, seeds are relatively new, but the scam has been around for ages.
This morning I spoke about how brushing works and the potential risks to recipients on ABC RN Breakfast.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 6:11 — 6.6MB)
The original audio is ©2020 Australian Broadcasting Corporation.