The Surprise Package: It’s your lucky day. A package addressed to you has landed at your front door. But the thing is, you didn’t order it or even pay for it. What’s going on? Turns out that scammers send people fake upscale items and use your address or other personal information to write reviews about their products in your name—which helps them boost sales. These are sometimes called “brushing scams.”
“Who cares?” you might say. Well, if you received a package you didn’t order, it means someone has your personal information and may have an opportunity to commit identity theft. So, if you get one of these packages that you didn’t order, you should (1) change the passwords on all of your online shopping accounts and send the platform a message so they can investigate removing this seller; (2) check your credit report weekly, for free, at AnnualCreditReport.com to look for signs of identity theft; (3) not contact the sender—they’ll likely try to get more personal information from you; and, finally, (4) keep the merchandise and report the situation to ReportFraud.ftc.gov. (1)
Made in the USA
Not all American flags are made in the USA. Here’s what you should look out for.
First, imported flags must have labels saying where they are made. If you’re searching online, look at where the seller is located, possibly in the website’s terms of service or privacy policy. If the business is overseas, there’s a high probability their products are not Made in the USA.
If a seller says their flags “ship from the USA,” that doesn’t mean it was made in the U.S.
Finally, shop carefully—scammers are out there. You might purchase the flag but never receive it. Paying by credit card can help protect you if the flag never comes. If you think someone is trying to pass a flag off as Made in the USA when it’s not, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. (2)
Shrinking Packaging
While grocery shopping lately, you might have noticed that the box, can or other container feels a little lighter or appears smaller. Sure, brands repackage and freshen their designs on occasion, but maybe they’ve also made their packaging a little smaller with less inside.
Unless you have the old packaging to compare to, it can be hard to know if there’s been a change. Brands are unlikely to advertise they’re giving you less, especially if the price has remained the same or even gone up. But you may remember your recipe called for a 15-ounce can but the one in the market now says 14.5 ounces.
All packaging must tell you how much you’re getting for your money, but it’s the unit price that tells you what you’re paying per ounce, pound or count. This is one way to comparison shop. The Food and Drug Administration also says labels on most food packages have to give you the serving size—which can be another clue that something has changed. Are there fewer servings in the container or is the serving size smaller. A smaller serving size likely means there’s less inside the container. (3)
TSA PreCheck Scams
Many of us who travel would like to sign up for TSA PreCheck. If you haven’t already done this but are interested, be aware of solicitation emails that look like they’re from TSA PreCheck. If you click on the link in these, you’ll be taken to a scam website that looks like the official site, but it’s not.
If you’re applying for TSA PreCheck for the first time, you do not pay the application fee online. You must complete an application and pay in person at a TSA enrollment center. Any email or site saying otherwise is a scam.
If you already have TSA PreCheck, you can renew and pay in person or take care of both online. The real TSA sends renewal reminder emails but to avoid a scam, start your renewal at tsa.gov/precheck—instead of clicking on a link. (4)
Article provided by 1. FTC Consumer Education Specialist Jim Kreidler; 2. Julia Solomon Ensor, FTC Staff Attorney; 3. Jennifer Leach, Division of Consumer and Business Education; and 4. Eunice Kim, FTC Consumer Education Specialist
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23 Feb 2025
0 Commentstsa prescheck scams
The Surprise Package: It’s your lucky day. A package addressed to you has landed at your front door. But the thing is, you didn’t order it or even pay for it. What’s going on? Turns out that scammers send people fake upscale items and use your address or other personal information to write reviews about their products in your name—which helps them boost sales. These are sometimes called “brushing scams.”
“Who cares?” you might say. Well, if you received a package you didn’t order, it means someone has your personal information and may have an opportunity to commit identity theft. So, if you get one of these packages that you didn’t order, you should (1) change the passwords on all of your online shopping accounts and send the platform a message so they can investigate removing this seller; (2) check your credit report weekly, for free, at AnnualCreditReport.com to look for signs of identity theft; (3) not contact the sender—they’ll likely try to get more personal information from you; and, finally, (4) keep the merchandise and report the situation to ReportFraud.ftc.gov. (1)
Made in the USA
Not all American flags are made in the USA. Here’s what you should look out for.
First, imported flags must have labels saying where they are made. If you’re searching online, look at where the seller is located, possibly in the website’s terms of service or privacy policy. If the business is overseas, there’s a high probability their products are not Made in the USA.
If a seller says their flags “ship from the USA,” that doesn’t mean it was made in the U.S.
Finally, shop carefully—scammers are out there. You might purchase the flag but never receive it. Paying by credit card can help protect you if the flag never comes. If you think someone is trying to pass a flag off as Made in the USA when it’s not, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. (2)
Shrinking Packaging
While grocery shopping lately, you might have noticed that the box, can or other container feels a little lighter or appears smaller. Sure, brands repackage and freshen their designs on occasion, but maybe they’ve also made their packaging a little smaller with less inside.
Unless you have the old packaging to compare to, it can be hard to know if there’s been a change. Brands are unlikely to advertise they’re giving you less, especially if the price has remained the same or even gone up. But you may remember your recipe called for a 15-ounce can but the one in the market now says 14.5 ounces.
All packaging must tell you how much you’re getting for your money, but it’s the unit price that tells you what you’re paying per ounce, pound or count. This is one way to comparison shop. The Food and Drug Administration also says labels on most food packages have to give you the serving size—which can be another clue that something has changed. Are there fewer servings in the container or is the serving size smaller. A smaller serving size likely means there’s less inside the container. (3)
TSA PreCheck Scams
Many of us who travel would like to sign up for TSA PreCheck. If you haven’t already done this but are interested, be aware of solicitation emails that look like they’re from TSA PreCheck. If you click on the link in these, you’ll be taken to a scam website that looks like the official site, but it’s not.
If you’re applying for TSA PreCheck for the first time, you do not pay the application fee online. You must complete an application and pay in person at a TSA enrollment center. Any email or site saying otherwise is a scam.
If you already have TSA PreCheck, you can renew and pay in person or take care of both online. The real TSA sends renewal reminder emails but to avoid a scam, start your renewal at tsa.gov/precheck—instead of clicking on a link. (4)
Article provided by 1. FTC Consumer Education Specialist Jim Kreidler; 2. Julia Solomon Ensor, FTC Staff Attorney; 3. Jennifer Leach, Division of Consumer and Business Education; and 4. Eunice Kim, FTC Consumer Education Specialist