brushing

Seventeen Amazon packages have been delivered to Catherine Mayfield’s home in Temple Hills, Maryland, since October. She didn’t order any of them. Some of the packages included cheap items, such as scissors, a foot cushion and an eyebrow trimmer. Others contained pricier items, like a steam iron. So what’s going on? One likely possibility: Mayfield is a victim of...

Online sellers use “brushing” scams to help boost their ratings. Consumer Reporter Susan Hogan explains how it works.