Posted inRetailLatest NewsUAE

UAE Amazon customers fall victim to ‘brushing’ scam, receiving unordered packages

A brushing scam in the UAE occurs when third-party sellers send unordered packagers to the receiver’s default address

Amazon

UAE residents have been receiving unordered Amazon packages delivered to their home address, as part of a “brushing scam.”

After receiving complaints about the same, Arabian Business reached out to Amazon to investigate the reason behind this.

In a statement, the company stated that these scams often occur when third-party sellers send customers packages to publicly available names and addresses.

These packages, when received, have caused an alarm among residents – especially as their personal data such as their addresses and phone number, has been accessed by unknown senders.

Amazon takes action against brushing scams

“At Amazon, we are relentless in our efforts to detect and prevent abuse from impacting customer experiences. Sellers are prohibited from sending unsolicited packages to customers. When a case arises, we investigate reports of “brushing” and work to take the appropriate action on bad actors that violate our policies, such as suspending or removing selling privileges, and withholding payments. If customers have received unsolicited packages, we encourage them to report this to our customer services team so that we can investigate and take the appropriate actions,” a spokesperson told Arabian Business.

In case of a brushing scam, Amazon recommends customers to use their self-service form to report the scam.

The form, once filled out, will then be forwarded to Amazon’s investigation team, who will take up to 10 days to “take appropriate action.”

Customers are also advised to report such scams to the e-commerce company’s customer service, by providing the below information:

  1. Number of unordered packages received
  2. Any additional information to assist the investigation

It is also important to note that customers who receive unordered packages are not required to return the item. 

Follow us on

For all the latest business news from the UAE and Gulf countries, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube page, which is updated daily.

Sharon Benjamin

Born and raised in the heart of the Middle East, Sharon Benjamin has been making waves as a reporter for Arabian Business since 2022. With a keen eye for detail and an insatiable curiosity for the world...