Amazon Brushing Scam — What It Is & How to Protect Yourself
If you're receiving random Amazon packages you didn't order, you're likely a victim of a brushing scam. Sellers use your address to ship cheap items so they can post fake “Verified Purchase” reviews on their own products. Here's everything you need to know — and how to protect yourself.
What Is a Brushing Scam?
Brushing is a fraud scheme where third-party sellers on Amazon (and other marketplaces) create fake orders using real people's names and addresses. They ship cheap items to unsuspecting recipients, then use those “completed orders” to post fake verified reviews on their product listings.
The term “brushing” originates from e-commerce practices in China, where it's called “shuadan” (刷单) — meaning to literally “brush up” sales numbers and reviews. It's illegal under FTC regulations and violates Amazon's Terms of Service.
Warning Signs You're Being “Brushed”
Unsolicited packages
You receive Amazon packages you never ordered — usually cheap, lightweight items like phone cases, seeds, or costume jewelry.
No return address
Packages often have vague return info or come from random sellers you've never heard of.
Low-value items
The items are almost always cheap to ship — the scammer's goal isn't the product, it's the fake review.
Spike in reviews
The product listing suddenly has dozens of 5-star 'Verified Purchase' reviews all posted within days.
How Brushing Works — Step by Step
Fraudulent sellers purchase lists of real names and addresses from data breaches or scraping services.
They set up dozens of Amazon accounts using the stolen personal information.
Using these fake accounts, they purchase their own products and ship cheap items to the real addresses.
Since Amazon shows the order as “delivered,” the fake accounts can now leave glowing 5-star “Verified Purchase” reviews.
With dozens of fake 5-star reviews, the product climbs Amazon search rankings and real customers get deceived.
How to Protect Yourself
Contact Amazon customer support and report the unsolicited packages. They take brushing seriously.
If packages arrive at your address, your personal info may have been leaked. Update your Amazon password immediately.
Use haveibeenpwned.com to see if your email/data was exposed in a breach.
Watch for unauthorized activity on your Amazon account and linked payment methods.
Before buying any product, paste the URL into FakeScan to detect if reviews are fake or generated by brushing.
Don't Trust Fake Reviews
Paste any Amazon product URL to instantly detect brushing, fake reviews, and inflated ratings.
Scan Reviews Free →How Common Is Amazon Brushing?
More common than you'd think. The FTC reported a significant increase in brushing complaints since 2020, with an estimated 30-40% of Amazon reviews being fake or manipulated. Brushing became especially rampant during COVID-19 when online shopping surged. In 2023 alone, Amazon removed over 200 million suspected fake reviews.
Can You Keep Brushed Packages?
Yes. Under FTC rules, unsolicited merchandise sent to you is legally yours to keep. You are not obligated to pay for it or return it. However, you should still report it to Amazon so they can investigate the seller and protect other consumers from fake reviews.
How FakeScan Detects Brushing Activity
FakeScan's AI analyzes review patterns that are hallmarks of brushing: clusters of reviews posted within short timeframes, generic or repetitive language across multiple reviews, reviewer accounts with minimal history, and rating distributions that don't match organic patterns. When you paste a product URL, FakeScan flags these signals so you can make an informed purchase decision.