Scammers continue to come up with creative ways to disrupt people's lives. Brushing scams - receiving items that you did not order, or having your name used in reviews of products you don't use - is one of the current popular schemes. It is called brushing because the perpetrator is trying to "brush up" or improve their product ratings in order to sell more products. Helping clients understand and avoid being a victim of such operations is another value added service of the professional insurance agent.

Brushing can occur when a person receives a package containing items that the person did not purchase. There may be no return address, or it may be from a legitimate retailer. Values of items are often low, such as single subject notebooks. The package may include a QR Code for the victim to scan - purportedly to find out who the sender is. The QR Code instead steals information from the phone or sends the victim to another site that attempts to extract personal information. Brushing can also occur when a person's name and address is used to post reviews on products; reviews that the person did not write. In either event, personal information has been exposed or compromised.

Items are purchased by a third party - usually on major retailing sites including Amazon, eBay, or Staples. The buyer sets up an account using names and addresses they find on the internet and elsewhere. The information may come from data brokers or the dark web or may have been exposed in a data breach posing as a verified purchaser with the intent of posting a favorable review and boosting the product's popularity.

The same process is done over and over with perhaps thousands of fake accounts being set up. This deceives other shoppers regarding the quality of the product.

While brushing may seem innocuous, there can be serious repercussions. The victim's name is used to post favorable reviews for products which may not be items with which the victim wants to be associated. The scam could also mean that one's identity has been stolen. The activity may escalate to identity theft including opening new accounts and other unauthorized financial activity.

What should victims do? Where possible, report the scam to the retailer. They may be able to investigate and prevent further unauthorized use of victim's name or subsequent illicit activity. Amazon, for example, prohibits the practice and will investigate and potentially suspend the scammer. If the victim's information originates from the dark web, there could be other information such as bank account numbers exposed. Bank accounts and credit reports should be monitored for unauthorized activity.

Victims are not required to pay for or return items they did not order. If there is "postage due" ask the shipping company to return to sender. File a fraud report. Contact the sender and ask them to remove any reviews posted in your name.

Bad actors are continually scheming to target unsuspecting victims. Brushing is one of the newer tactics. Helping clients protect their identity and avoid becoming victims of scams like brushing is another sign of the true insurance professional.

This article was previously published in the Insurance Advocate® magazine and is provided courtesy of MSO®, Inc. (The Mutual Service Office, Inc). MSO provides custom rate, form and statistical services for all property and casualty insurance lines except workers compensation. This includes customized forms and manuals for insurers, MGA's and agents/brokers. MSO's goal is to provide a simpler, more profitable way to underwrite risks. Additional information is available at www.msonet.com. E-mail to squimby@msonet.com.