Manhattan Police Warn Of Scam Involving Unexpected Packages

MANHATTAN, IL — As Christmas purchases and deliveries pile up on porches, Manhattan police are warning residents to be vigilant of a nationwide scam involving unexpected packages.

In the "brushing" scam, someone receives an unexpected gift or item from a place like Amazon or other company. Examples of gifts include, rings, bracelets, necklaces, Bluetooth speaker, etc.

The gift will have the recipient’s address, but not include the sender's information or be from a known retailer, police warned. 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. When the QR code is scanned, the information from that phone will be sent to scammers.

The scammers then receive all access to the phone, Manhattan police said. All personal and financial information becomes accessible, 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, police said.

The Better Business Bureau in August 2024 said the scam can also have varying motives behind it.

"Why would such merchandise be sent to you if you didn’t request it? The companies, usually foreign, third-party sellers that are sending the items are simply using your address that they discovered online," the BBB wrote. "They intend to make it appear that you wrote a glowing online review of their merchandise and that you are a verified buyer of that merchandise. They then post a fake, positive review to improve their products’ ratings, which means more sales. The payoff is highly profitable from their perspective."

The underlying concern is access to an individual's personal information.

"The fact that someone could have the items sent to you as if you purchased them indicates that they have some of your personal information, such as your name, address, and, possibly, phone number," the BBB wrote. "Once the information is online, it could be used for numerous crooked enterprises."

Manhattan Police Chief Ryan Gulli said the department has not yet seen any reports filed regarding the scam, but residents have shared on social media that they have received packages like the ones noted in the scam warning.