4 Sneaky Holiday Package Scams You Need to Know About

Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission.Reviews ethics statement 4 Sneaky Holiday Package Scams You Need to Know About Delivery scams involving wrong or missing packages are especially common at this time of year. Here's how to avoid them. Tyler LacomaEditor / Home Security For more than 10 years Tyler has used his experience in smart home tech to craft how-to guides, explainers, and recommendations for technology of all kinds. From using his home in beautiful Bend, OR as a testing zone for the latest security products to digging into the nuts and bolts of the best data privacy guidelines, Tyler has experience in all aspects of protecting your home and belongings. With a BA in Writing from George Fox and certification in Technical Writing from Oregon State University, he's ready to get you the details you need to make the best decisions for your home. On off hours, you can find Tyler exploring the Cascade trails, finding the latest brew in town with some friends, or trying a new recipe in the kitchen! ExpertiseSmart home | Smart security | Home tech | Energy savings | A/V Americans are shipping more expensive packages than ever, with an average of $300 per adult, according to our latest CNET survey. Scammers are watching for those deliveries, too. In 2025, they're using a series of scams that can work well on busy holiday shoppers trying to keep track of lots of packages. Zooey Liao/CNET These scams target the last stages of package shipping, right when you're expecting a delivery at your front door. Don't get fooled: Here are the signs of fraud to watch for. 1. Getting a package you didn't order, aka 'brushing' Getting packages you didn't order is often a sign of a scam in the works. ArLawKa AungTun/Getty Images Brushing occurs when a fraudulent third party finds your address and sometimes even stolen credit card information online, and they use it to create a fake account for you at online superstores like Amazon. Frauds then use that fake account to buy products and ship them out to real addresses. You get a package that you didn't order -- and the frauds get the ability to make glowing, false product reviews to bump up their numbers or initiate chargeback schemes. It's hard to deal with this scam because you may not know if a product is a secret gift or not, and it's often too much work to figure out what's going on. When we asked Justinn Delaney, senior manager of property claims at Allstate what to do in case of brushing, he recommended using the sender information to find the fake account set up for your address and delete it, as well as watching for unexpected charges on your card. We also advise looking at our guide on how to erase your home address from online searches to keep...

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