Well, this is weird...

[conuly]

I just got a very random Amazon box, in my name, containing a... wire shower or spice shelf unit?

I didn't order this. Nobody in this house ordered this, and it's not under "my orders". It appears to have... a gift receipt? But with no message or identifying information? I don't remember ever seeing this, asking for it, or putting it on any wish list. What is going on here?

Comments

[greghousesgf]

you know if you get something you didn't order you can legally keep it for free.

[conuly]

Forget legality, if nobody knows about it I think I can ethically keep it for free if it's not thousands of dollars of product.

[greghousesgf]

BTW, I never said this yesterday in all the carrying on about the mint chocolate chip ice cream but I really liked the articles you posted links to.

[conuly]

Aw, thanks :)

(I take my ice cream seriously.)

[notasupervillain]

Last time I got a gift from someone from Amazon, it didn't have their name on it either. I had to call around till I found out who it was from.

But that was my favourite board game, not a spice rack!

[conuly]

I mean, this might well come in handy...?

[notasupervillain]

An odd gift though!

[fox]

Sometimes Amazon sneezes. You can call them and ask if they know anything about it, but the likelihood is they will thank you and tell you to keep the item because it would cost them more than it's worth to pay for the return shipping and restocking.

[conuly]

True, glitches are a thing that happens. I'm really hoping somebody will say "Oh, I thought I told you!"

[melannen]

Apparently there's a thing going where sellers will send unsolicited Amazon packages, and then post a fake review appearing to be from that person, in order to game the review system. (iirc, this was particularly a thing with Chinese sellers shipping to overseas customers.)

I think those usually don't have gift receipts, though.

[conuly]

Huh, really?

[melannen]

It looks like it's still going: http://mentalfloss.com/article/567488/beware-amazon-packages-you-didnt-order-ecommerce-scam

[conuly]

Is this something I ought to beware because it's bad, or because it hurts me? If it's the latter, I don't know if I have tiem for that.

[kengr]

No, it's a thing. Even had several stories on the local news about folks getting packages from Amazon that they didn't order.

Don't know about the reviews bit, but the official word is pretty much "if it's got your address on it and your name don't worry about it"

The folks in the news stories didn't get just one package they got *dozens* of them over the last few years.

They didn't get gift receipts, so still check with friends, but otherwise, consider it your Fairy Godmother at work.

[conuly]

Well, at least it's useful.

[fayanora]

Oh wow. Gaming the system or not, I wish I could get free stuff from Amazon!

[loligo]

A couple similar cheap items were sent to our old house under my name last month. I couldn't find anything else to explain it other than the review scam theory. I changed my Amazon password anyway. Then last week Netflix told me someone in Bratislava tried to log in to my account, so I changed a bunch more passwords.

Were the two incidents connected? I have no idea.

[conuly]

I surely hope I don't have to change all the pws.

[fayanora]

I've gotten a few messages about people attempting to get into my account. I don't bother changing the password. The key word is "attempt." They tried, and failed. I'd just end up forgetting the password if I had to keep changing it every time someone tried to break in.

Now if they succeed, that'll be another matter.

[melannen]

AFAIK the main harm to you is confusion, which you have already experienced, and the fact that it might be a warning that other worse scammers have your address too. There are a few people in the articles who were getting so many packages it became a problem, but that seems pretty rare, and I think they have a mechanism to stop it in those cases now.

But if you have a gift receipt, that's probably not it anyway. More likely somebody just typed an address wrong or something.

[hamsterwoman]

Yeah - we had this happen to us with a couple of random items - a water bottle, some electrical cables - and when we asked Amazon about this we got the same info. Mysterious random amazon presents stopped soon after we reported it.

[shadowkat]

I knew I read about this somewhere...

People are receiving packages from Amazon they didn't order

Amazon packages showing up in the mail usually brings a smile to one's face, but for some unlucky people, it's just another mess to clean up.

One person — identified only as Nikki — told the Daily Beast that she unwrapped an unsolicited Amazon package, only to find a $25 sex toy inside. That wasn't all, though. She has continued to receive packages for things she didn't order, including junk like a charging cable for a Bluetooth device.

Nikki apparently isn't the only one receiving random items. Amazon told the Daily Beast it's "part of some bad behavior that we are investigating."

A retired couple in the Boston area told the Boston Globe last week that they also are being buried by an avalanche of junk from unsolicited Amazon packages over the span of several months. They've reached out to Amazon, and an investigation is ongoing, but the packages keep coming in the meantime.

The items are perfectly addressed, come with no note or receipt or packaging slip, and are paid with a gift card so there's no trace of the sender.

In a statement to Business Insider, Amazon said: "We are investigating inquiries from consumers who have received unsolicited packages as this would violate our policies. We have confirmed the sellers involved did not receive names or shipping addresses from Amazon. We remove sellers in violation of our policies, withhold payments, and work with law enforcement to take appropriate action."

Contact them and let them know. They have a lot of third party sellers using that site, sort of similar to how people once used E-Bay.

[conuly]

I only wish Amazon would let you email them rather than *shudder* chat.

[shadowkat]

They do, but you have to work at it. And yes, chatting with a voice that sounds like a heavily accented robot...is not pleasant. Just did that a few weeks back.

[archangelbeth]

Another thing that I think can happen is wishlist ads -- like, Amazon will display your wishlist, but they'll also put ads in it which look like they're part of the wishlist unless the viewer is on the ball, so...

But yeah, probably worth talking to the Zon, and maybe changing PWs.

[pipilj]

atleast you got a free gift :D My sis in law got duped of $500 (approx Rs33,000) by someone posing as an amazon person by promising an amazing fridge.I am sure one of your acquaintance forgot to write their name. Spice rack do you like to cook?

[thewayne]

It's your evil sister playing mind games trying to make up for eating the ice cream.

[fayanora]

Maybe the pixies sent it to you? A couple dozen of them working together could probably operate a computer to send you something.

[elenbarathi.livejournal.com]

It's not from me.

[conuly]

It's not from anybody! Apparently, the most likely answer is that it's some sort of bizarre, yet common, scam. But I'm not the one being scammed, and you can keep stuff you get in the mail even if you're not the one who ordered it, sooooo yeah.