Recently, the Berwick Police Department issued the following alert about a new “brushing” scam that has been occurring in many states.
A “brushing” scam is when someone receives an unexpected gift or item on the mail. The gift could be a ring, bracelet, Bluetooth speaker, etc. When the recipient opens the package, there is a QR code inside to scan to see who sent the item.
Once the code is scanned, information from that phone will be sent to fraudsters, who will then gain access to the recipient’s phone. All personal information is accessible to the scammers and often used to drain the victim’s bank account.
If you receive a gift/item from an unknown sender, do not scan the QR code! You may keep the gift or throw it away.
*The Berwick Police Department says it has not received any reports of this scam happening in Berwick.
