Recently, some residents of Sydney's northern beaches have been receiving mysterious packages containing old socks, rags, pompoms and filthy items.
According to The Telegraph, the unidentified packages have caused panic among residents. In fact, they are part of a "brushing" scam by dishonest online retailers in an attempt to boost their own sales.
(Image source: The Telegraph)
"Spamming" is when a merchant sends a package to a real group of people and then posts fake positive reviews in the name of those people and brags about their sales.
These "real" good reviews can help sellers rank up in online searches, making them look more credible and legitimate.
Residents living around Avalon Beach and Newport are reporting an increasing number of "spooky" packages that they did not place but had the correct address and recipient's name.
A local resident posted on a community Facebook group that she received a large "eParcel" package containing old children's socks, untied wool, yarn and rope.
For this package, the woman bluntly said that she was "scared".
(Image source: The Telegraph)
The return address on the package showed that it came from a PO Box called Dingley Village, about 28km southeast of Melbourne's CBD.
Other victims of "swiping" also recounted similar experiences on social platforms, such as receiving cut second-hand clothes, second-hand dirty toys, toilet paper, and polyester pillow cores.
(Image source: The Telegraph)
Cybersecurity expert Simon Smith says that spam is not uncommon, and it means that your personal information has been compromised and may be used for other scams.
Local police said they were informed of the incident and urged anyone who received a suspicious package to contact them or the crime reporting hotline 1800 333 000.