Syed Imran Haider 
Some Amazon customers lost their money in a brushing scam through which a few dodgy retailers sent out Suzhichou branded scarves to increase sales and generate fake reviews on the site. Amazon says the scammers aimed to rank their products higher in search engine results by making sales.
The brushing scam affected each online marketplace. It contained robust processes to deal with the issue. According to the eCommerce giant, customers do not need to panic while worrying; instead, they should report unwanted packages or deals to Amazon.
One of the examples of these scams included Brooke North, who received a scarf by the end of April. She belongs to Grays in Essex and runs a London-based dance academy. Brooke North did not contact Amazon because she saw it posted with Suzhichou mentioned on the box through the letterbox. She was about to through the scarf after she found it weird, but she offered it to her horse-riding niece for the activity.
Brooke North says she felt weird as she had not ordered it. North wanted to throw it in the bin, but then she gave it to her niece, who goes horse riding and can use it to cover the horse. However, she did not receive any other unsolicited products in the post on social media. Other users commented on her post, revealing they received similar stoles.
Another Amazon customer Jill McIntosh told the media that she had ordered some bedding products, and she received a scarf instead, as did her friend. Martina Cerna, too received the one as an ordered package.
The Brushing Scams
Amazon called the brushing scam something behind the mystery parcel. It also told the media how the brushing scams work, detailing that when a dishonest seller submits a false order, they will deliver a cheap & low-quality product like those scarves to random addresses.
The bogus order placement generates a tracking number on the market. When the random customer receives it, the scammer gets a chance to leave a fake 5-star review, which as a result, boosts figures. It also leads more online customers to view and purchase poor-quality products because the false rating gives them the impression of highly rated items.
Scammers Getting Customers’ Details
According to the consumer group, fraudsters find customers’ contact details from any one of the online places. They might have obtained details from a publicly accessible source or an unsecured site. Online buyers reported receiving the unordered scarves after placing an order for a different product from a Facebook market China-based store. The consumer group added that victimized people should report the package to the eCommerce company and change their account password immediately.
The Citizens’ Advice reveals if an online customer receives a product out of the blue and they had no previous contact with the sender, they can keep the item. On the other hand, Amazon released a statement saying the company eagerly makes efforts to distinguish and prevent exploitation from influencing customer experiences.
Amazon prohibits sellers from sending customers unsolicited packages. It will continue to enhance the superiority of abuse prevention in its store and act appropriately, such as removing or suspending selling privileges.
