Police raise awareness of ‘brushing’ scam

Will County residents are urged to be aware of a scam involving unknown packages showing up at their door steps that lead to identity theft.

The village of Manhattan Police Department said people across the U.S. have been victims of something known as a “brushing” scam, although Manhattan Police aren’t aware of any reported locally, according to a news release from the Manhattan Police Department.

A “brushing” scam is when someone receives an unexpected gift or item – such as jewelry or a Bluetooth speaker – in the mail although the recipient didn’t order it, according to the release.

The items will include the recipient’s address but no information on the sender or that the package is from a known retailer, according to the release.

So when the recipient opens the package to see what’s inside and who sent it, the recipient finds a QR code to scan, supposedly to learn the sender’s identity, according to the release.

“Once the code is scanned, all the information from that phone will be sent to scammers,” according to the release. “They receive all access to the phone. All personal and financial information is accessible to the scammers and often the victim’s bank accounts are drained.”

Manhattan police advised people not to scan these QR codes for any reason – and to share information about the scam with family and friends, according to the release.

QR code scams aren’t limited to packages, according to the release.

“These scams show up in all places, including parking meters,” according to the release.

Recipients may keep the gift or throw it away, according to the release.