A bunch of free stuff waiting at your door might sound like a pretty good deal, but one couple from Acton said it's become a major headache.
Since last fall, Michael and Kelly Gallivan have been inundated with dozens of Amazon packages that they never paid for. And, as Boston 25 News reporter Jacob Long learned, they're desperate for all the mystery mail to stop.
“Initially it was somewhat comical. You know, ‘another package came from Mr. Amazon’ I'd say. And let's see what's in it today,” Kelly said.
From miscellaneous electronics to arts and crafts supplies and everything in between, Kelly and Michael have a treasure trove of items on their kitchen table.
“The packages started arriving and arriving and arriving,” Michael said. “At first I was very concerned my credit card was charged or that sort of thing.”
But they haven’t been charged for any of it, and none of the packages have return address or invoices.
“No way of knowing where these things came from. All we know is every one of them is manufactured in China,” Michael said.
Their best guess about what's happening is that it’s a popular e-commerce scam known as brushing, where items bought with a gift card are sent anonymously by someone trying to manipulate Amazon's reviews.
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So while the mystery sender gives themselves glowing feedback, the Gallivans are on the receiving end of a shipping cycle they want to end.
“You go away on a trip, you can stop your mail and your newspaper. But you can't stop this,” Kelly said.
A spokesperson for Amazon told Boston 25 News they're investigating situations like this and working with law enforcement to hold sellers accountable for violating policies and possibly laws.
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