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Probably. An unexpected package with a cheap random item inside is often a brushing scam: a seller sends you goods so they can post fake verified-purchase reviews in your name. Sometimes the box hides a QR code that leads to a phishing site. You do not have to return the item or pay for it. Change your shopping-account passwords, watch your credit, and report it to the FTC.
It starts with a package addressed to you that you never ordered. According to the FTC's consumer alert on the topic, it usually looks like it comes from a known company like Amazon, or from a person or business you have never heard of, and it contains something cheap and random: baby wipes, toothpaste, seeds. The seller's goal has nothing to do with the item. They need a "validated" delivery to your name and address so they can post fake five-star reviews of their own products, written as if they came from you, to brush up their sales. You are not the customer here; your name and address are the raw material for the reviews.
Sometimes the sender leaves a note with a QR code, telling you to scan it to find out who sent the package or to process a return. Do not scan it. The FTC warns that the code can lead to a phishing website designed to steal your credit card numbers, usernames, or passwords. This is the part of the scam that can actually cost you money: the package itself is harmless junk, but the QR code is a lure. If you already scanned it and entered any credentials, change those passwords immediately, starting with your email and banking logins.
| If this happened | Do this |
|---|---|
| You received a package you did not order | Change passwords on your online shopping accounts, in case they were compromised |
| The package came from a marketplace like Amazon | Message the platform so they can investigate and remove the seller |
| You are worried about identity theft | Check your credit report regularly and look for accounts you did not open |
| Someone asks you to return it or pay for it | Know the law: you do not need to return unordered merchandise, and you do not have to pay |
| You want it on the record | Report the brushing scam to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov |
No. The FTC is explicit: the law says you do not need to return things you did not order, and you do not have to pay for them either. But be cautious about using the product. You do not know who sent it or what is really inside, so treat mystery cosmetics, supplements, or food items as suspect and throw them out. One more caution from the FTC's own guidance: an unexpected package can also be a sign that someone has your personal information, or is trying to steal it. That is why the password changes and the credit monitoring matter more than the package itself.
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