A Virginia woman named Cindy Smith recently found herself in a peculiar situation when she started receiving over 100 Amazon packages that she didn’t order. The packages contained a variety of items, including 1,000 headlamps, 800 glue guns, and numerous kids’ binoculars. According to CBS affiliate station WUSA, Smith became confused as the boxes continued to pile up outside her home in Prince William County.
“It’s a lot of packages,” Smith told WUSA. “I didn’t order them.”
Upon further investigation, Smith discovered that the packages were addressed to a name she didn’t recognize – Lixiao Zhang. This led her to suspect that she might have fallen victim to a “brushing” scam. In a brushing scam, e-commerce sellers send unsolicited packages to individuals and then post fake positive reviews on their behalf to boost their ratings on platforms like Amazon or eBay.
However, WUSA revealed that Smith’s situation was likely connected to a different type of vendor scheme. It appears that sellers in China use random addresses to send their unsold merchandise from Amazon fulfillment centers as a cost-effective way to remove inventory. WUSA traced the return packaging labels to 15 fulfillment centers across nine states.
CJ Rosenbaum, a founding partner at the New York law firm Rosenbaum Famularo, explained the motive behind this scheme. He stated that sellers in China find it cheaper to send their unwanted products to random addresses rather than paying for their disposal.
Amazon confirmed that the seller account involved in this incident violated the company’s policy through “abusive activity.” As a result, the account has been closed. An Amazon spokesperson emphasized their commitment to combating fraud and holding bad actors accountable.
Smith, who works as an environmental science professor, decided not to let the items go to waste. Instead, she distributed them to her neighbors, dog shelters, veterinary clinics, and even surprised employees at Burger King with unexpected gifts.
“I gave them to dog shelters, to veterinary clinics. I went to Burger King one day, and I was like, ‘I have a gift for you,'” Smith shared with WUSA.
While the mystery of the unexpected packages has been solved, Smith’s act of kindness ensured that the items found new homes rather than ending up in a landfill.