Unsolicited seed mailings down

Nationwide reports of unsolicited seed mailings that began in late July are decreasing. The incident is largely thought to be a brushing scam, where an online seller creates false online accounts to boost their rating on an e-commerce site.

Before an e-commerce site will consider an order valid, a shipment must be initiated to complete the transaction. Sellers carrying out brushing scams will often ship inexpensive items to complete these transactions.

U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has received reports of seed packages from all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. Based on APHIS’ preliminary analysis of the seed samples already collected, the seed packets appear to be a mix of ornamental, fruit, vegetable, herb and weed species.

APHIS will continue to identify seed species through a process that will span many months and potentially years.

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