A plain white envelope shows up in your mailbox.It is addressed to you.
It may even have a tracking number.The sender's name looks unfamiliar, but the delivery seems real.
Then you open it.Nothing is inside.
No note.No product.
No explanation.That would make anyone curious.And that is exactly what scammers may be counting on.
Investigators and consumer protection groups have warned that empty envelopes and mystery packages can be tied to a scam known as brushing.In a more dangerous version, the package may include a QR code that tries to send you to a fake website or steal your personal information.The bigger risk is what scammers hope you do next.
If they can get you to scan a QR code, click a link, call a fake number or enter personal information, that strange envelope can turn into a much bigger problem.Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy ReportQR CODE SCAMS RISE AS 73% OF AMERICANS SCAN WITHOUT CHECKING A mystery envelope may look harmless, but it can be a sign that your name and address are already being used in a brushing scam.(Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)The empty envelope scam is often connected to brushing.
That is when a third-party seller sends a cheap item, or sometimes an empty envelope, to a real person's address to make it look like a real order was delivered.Once the package gets marked as delivered, a shady seller may use that delivery record to post a fake "verified buyer" review on an online marketplace.Those reviews can make junk products look more popular than they really are.Recent reports describe people receiving small white padded envelopes from unfamiliar or possibly fake sender names.
Some people get them more than once.Others receive cheap trinkets, packing material or nothing at all.That may seem like a strange nuisance.
But to me, the bigger concern is this: someone may already have your name and home address.Scammers do not need to send you anything valuable.They only need a tracking number that shows something arrived at a real home....