Retired Couple Inundated With Amazon Packages They Did Not Order!

Source: Amazon Boston Globe
A retired Massachusetts couple are being inundated with Amazon packages they did not order and fear they may unknowingly be part of an elaborate Amazon reviews scam.
According to the Boston Globe, the couple first started receiving packages in October and have since received one or two unordered packages a week. The contents are mostly cheaper items ranging from “USB-powered humidifiers to rechargeable dog collars” the couple told the paper.
Mike and Kelly Gallivan told the paper at first they thought it was fun, but now it’s just getting annoying, telling the Boston Globe, “We’re just plain, ordinary people. We don’t want any part of this, but the packages just keep coming.”
By “any part of this” the couple mean an elaborate scam that is targeting Amazon from eager sellers looking to boost their ratings. The higher a product is rated, the better page placement it receives. According to the Associated Press a seller uses a fake email address to create a new Amazon account. They purchase their own product using a gift card as payment and ships them to a random mailing address. Once the package is delivered the scamming sellers fake Amazon account shows the purchase as a “verified purchase” and they can go in and write a positive 5 star review for their product thereby bumping it up on product page placement.
Amazon have confirmed to the Gallivan’s the products sent to their address were purchased via gift cards with no sender’s name.
Amazon released a statement to the Boston Globe, telling the paper, “We are investigating inquiries from consumers who have received unsolicited packages as this would violate our policies. We remove sellers in violation of our policies, withhold payments, and work with law enforcement to take appropriate action.”