How Mystery Envelopes and Fake Orders Fuel Scammers’ Profits
May 12, 2025
The 90-Cent Envelope That Outsmarts Marketplaces
Why unsolicited packages keep showing up, how they power fake reviews and lock in scam profits, and what you can do about it.
1. The Mystery Package Problem
At SafelyHQ, we’ve logged thousands of brushing scam reports over the years. They often follow the same pattern: small envelopes sometimes empty, sometimes with a random trinket arrive unexpectedly, addressed to real people who never ordered them.
One common thread is a return label from a U.S. forwarding warehouse, such as the frequently reported 9208 Charles Smith Ave, Rancho Cucamonga, CA, with sender names like Jerry Yasfbara.
These envelopes often carry return addresses linked to parcel-forwarding operations used by scammers.
This isn’t a shipping error. It’s a system exploit designed to manipulate platforms and lock in profits.
2. How Brushing Started
- A seller sends a $1 item to a real address.
- USPS scans it as “Delivered.”
- The seller posts a 5-star review under a fake buyer account.
- That artificial boost improves the product’s visibility on Amazon, Temu, AliExpress, and other platforms.
3. Level-Up: The Charge-back Shield That Locks In Scam Profits
| Step | Scammer’s Cost | Pay-off |
|---|---|---|
| List a tempting high-ticket item at a fake discount. | $0 | Collect full payment up front. |
| Ship a 1-ounce envelope via a U.S. forwarder. | $0.60 - $0.90 | USPS marks it “Delivered.” |
| Buyer files “Item Not Received.” | - | Scammer provides tracking many platforms accept it. |
| Even if some buyers win disputes… | Pennies | The rest deliver four-digit ROI. Repeat under new names. |
Scammers discovered that a lightweight decoy package not only boosts reviews, it helps them win payment disputes, too.
4. Why the Envelope’s Contents Look Unrelated
- A keychain instead of a mini projector.
- A plain T-shirt in place of a “Gucci” jacket.
- An empty envelope.
Scam contents are selected to avoid triggering buyer recognition and to get discarded.
Victims often assume it’s a mistake or promo, toss the envelope, and unknowingly discard their only proof to fight the scam.
5. The Volume Game – How Thousands of Envelopes Super-Charge a Store
| Platform | Metric That Loves Volume | How the Envelope Helps |
|---|---|---|
| AliExpress | Feedback Score (medals, diamonds, crowns) | Each fake order adds +1, pushing the shop toward “trusted seller” tiers. |
| Amazon | Best Seller Rank and Buy-Box eligibility | A flood of fake orders boosts recent sales velocity. |
| Temu / Taobao | Ranking favors conversion + on-time fulfillment | Fake buyer accounts click, pay, and tracking shows prompt delivery. |
Scammers scale fast by mimicking high-performing stores. They also unlock lower seller fees and advertising perks along the way.
6. Why These Warehouses Keep Showing Up
Most brushing scams route through U.S.-based parcel forwarders. These locations receive bulk shipments from overseas, relabel them with USPS barcodes, and send them to real U.S. addresses, harvested from leaks or fake data scrapes.
What makes this particularly confusing is that both legitimate orders and fake packages often come from the same cross-docking warehouses. This overlap creates a situation where real buyers might receive their purchases, but also have to contend with unsolicited items, leaving them uncertain whether it’s a mistake, a promotional gift, or part of a scam.
These facilities often operate as cross-docking warehouses, designed to quickly transfer goods from inbound to outbound shipments with minimal storage time. This efficiency makes them ideal for scammers looking to process large volumes of packages swiftly.
Scammers use shared logistics hubs to launder their delivery trail.
We’ve seen hundreds of different sender names and addresses. They change frequently, but the tactics stay the same.
7. Avoiding in Returns and What an RMA Really Is
RMA stands for Return Merchandise Authorization a standard process in e-commerce for returning items. A real RMA includes a legitimate return address, often tied to an actual business or warehouse.
When a seller refuses to provide an RMA, gives a fake return location, or tells you to “just keep it,” that’s often a sign of fraud.
Another red flag? The seller instructs you to return the item to China or another distant country, even though it was shipped from a U.S. address. That’s often a tactic to delay, discourage returns, or make the process too expensive to pursue.
Avoided Returns and RMAs: What Scammers Don’t Want You to Know
- They don’t want the item returned it’s cheap, fake, or doesn’t exist.
- They’re trying to delay and deflect while the refund window closes.
- They use bogus or international addresses to dodge responsibility.
A legitimate seller provides a reasonable and verifiable return path. If something feels off, save all messages and packaging, and escalate through the platform or your payment provider.
8. Consumer Checklist
| If this matches you | Here’s What to Do |
|---|---|
| You never ordered it | You can legally keep, donate, or discard unsolicited goods in the U.S. Still, change passwords, enable 2FA, and scan card statements for test charges. |
| You ordered X but got junk or nothing | File an INR or SNAD dispute. Attach photos and the parcel’s weight label proof, a 3-oz envelope can't be a projector. If the platform stalls, escalate to your card issuer. |
| Someone asks for payment or info | Ignore it, shipping was prepaid. Any extra demand is a secondary scam. |
| Help others | Report on SafelyHQ, to the mailer company and the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. |
9. What Marketplaces Could Fix Today
- Weight matching – Match parcel weight to product listing before siding with a seller.
- Signature/photo proof – Require it for any item over a basic price threshold.
- Forwarder audits – Flag sellers who overwhelmingly route through brushing-linked hubs.
- Review hygiene – Detect and freeze accounts that suddenly leave dozens of 5-star reviews.
10. Key Takeaways
- A cheap envelope can deliver fake reviews, block refunds, and supercharge seller rankings.
- The trick works best when you discard the evidence.
- Recognizing the pattern and warning others cuts into the scam’s effectiveness.
- These scams are widespread, not rare. We’ve seen thousands of them.
11. Reporting Helps
Report it! 📣 Sharing your experience helps raise awareness and fight fraud. If an online platform is involved, notify the retailer (e.g., Amazon, eBay) about the incident. Reports to SafelyHQ also help us track patterns and alert others.