Brushed?

 

I opened up an Amazon package and found the above inside. I had no idea what they were and certainly hadn't ordered them so immediately, I assumed I had been a victim of "brushing".

I only had a vague understanding that brushing was some sort of scam for unsavory companies to increase ratings but didn't know all the details. I set the package aside, intending to toss it in the trash later and went on my business. Later that day, I got to thinking about what harm brushing does to me and couldn't come up with anything. Curious as to how it scams me, I did a little internet research.

Brushing is a scam where an unsavory company sends cheap trinkets through the mail to addresses. Since everyone's addresses are online, this doesn't really harm the receiver yet. However, the unsavory company will pay people to create accounts in the name of the receivers of these cheap trinkets and write stellar reviews for the company to artificially drive up their ratings. Again, while not ethical, it still doesn't really harm me directly. The article went on to say that sometimes, companies catch these "multiple" accounts in one person's name and intentional ratings inflation and delete both accounts. This is the real harm to the receiver of these goods and they recommend that you report the brushing attempt and the tracking number off the package when you feel you have been a victim.

Just as I was about to make the call, a text conversation my brother had sent me a couple weeks ago came to mind. He had been down on the farm and in the process of starting a recalcitrant ATV, had dropped a negative battery clamp nut in the tall weeds and lost it. Since he was headed home half a country away, he asked if the next time I was there I could replace the nut and tighten the cable to the terminal for the next person who might drive the ATV. My brother had evidently ordered the nut and sent it to my address.

So I wasn't a victim of a brushing attempt. My excitement for the day was over.