Mystery Seeds Showing Up in Canadian Mailboxes Highlight ‘Brushing’ Scams

Mystery Seeds Showing Up in Canadian Mailboxes Highlight ‘Brushing’ Scams
Two packages containing unknown seeds from China in a file photo. Washington State Department of Agriculture
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MONTREAL—The packages of mysterious seeds that have been making unsolicited appearances in mailboxes across North America are drawing attention to an online review scam known as “brushing'' that has recently appeared in Canada.

The scheme, where sellers send unsolicited packages to customers and then write fake glowing reviews for products, may seem innocuous but could signal a more serious identity fraud problem, experts say.