News

'I didn't order this': Online retail scam confusing victims

It's something suspicious we've told you about before: packages showing up on your doorstep addressed to you; the problem is, you didn't order them and likely have no idea where they came from.

This is happening more and more in our area. And while it doesn't sound like something criminal, it's actually something that has a lot of people concerned their personal information is out there for anyone to grab.

"I received a package every single Friday," said Tiffany Wallace, who says she was inundated with dozens of Amazon deliveries for months.

Nail salon grade tools, electronic accessories and baby toys. Items all addressed to her, but nothing that she ordered. In fact, Wallace doesn't even have her own Amazon account.

"By the end I was getting kind of creeped out," Wallace said.

And others have similar stories.

Knock off designer scarves sent from China wound up in a Needham woman's mailbox addressed to her. The same thing happened to another man, but with fake name-brand sunglasses.

Related: Couple says they're desperate for mysterious Amazon packages to stop

"I said, well why am I getting sunglasses from a company I don't know?" said Paul Maggioni.

So do the unexpected deliveries mean your private information has been compromised?

According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, third-party sellers are buying their own products and then using the names and addresses of strangers to create stellar reviews.

It may seem harmless, free stuff showing up at your door, but most find this type of activity violating.

"It's creepy!" Wallace said. "I mean it's very easy to find people's addresses if you know their name, but to start sending me stuff that costs somebody money makes it even scarier."

The Identity Theft Resource Center says your personal information should be safe, but they advise anyone who has received deliveries like those to change account passwords and monitor credit card charges just to be safe.