PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WPXI) – A woman is warning others about a potential scam after she received what looked like a diamond ring in the mail.
“Anybody could fall for this, from a 20-year-old to a 90-year-old,” Mary O’Toole said.
O’Toole is talking about a recent scam that she did not fall for but is cautioning others to be on high alert after she received a package outside her door.
“I didn’t think it was right because I didn’t order it,” she said.
O’Toole says the package had a U.S. Postal Service barcode on it along with her name and address and that it came from Cody Polk in California.
When she opened it up, there appeared to be a diamond ring inside along with a card giving information about the company and another card with a QR code for her to scan.
“The card that’s in there tells you to, ‘Pease register your precious gem,’” she said.
O’Toole, who rarely shops online, says her instincts told her something was off.
“I didn’t know what to think. I still don’t. Because I can’t imagine somebody’s going to mail you a ring that looks fairly nice for nothing. I thought maybe it went to the wrong house,” she said.
It is called a brushing scam and it is something USPS says is popping up all over the country.
USPS says the intent of the illegal scam is for companies to use your address to write a fake positive review on their website.
The QR code on the card she was sent is a way scammers try to lure into providing personal or financial information.
Fortunately, O’Toole did not fall for it, but she has a warning for others.
“If you get something in the mail or anywhere that you didn’t order and you have no idea what it is, do not register anything,” she said.
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