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

[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.