BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — The Federal Trade Commission and cyber experts are warning consumers about deliveries known as brushing scams.
Here's how they work: third-party sellers on Amazon, Ebay and other online marketplaces pay people to write fake, positive reviews about their products.
To be able to post the reviews, these so-called brushers need to trick the site into making it appear that a legitimate transaction took place.
So they'll use a fake account to place orders and address them to a random person whose name and address they find online.
Then, instead of actually mailing the item for which they want to post a review, the brushers will send a cheap, often lightweight item that costs less to ship.
the FTC has gone after marketers that use fake reviews, but it's not illegal to send customers unordered merchandise.
