New Scam From China Sends You Random Stuff in the Mail

I knew this was going to happen to me. It was only a matter of time.

With the wide world of social media becoming a cesspool of unnecessary ads for stuff you don't need, it makes me wonder who actually orders from these websites that sell knockoff products.

Well, I got to work yesterday to find a package with my name on it from a company written in a foreign language, all Chinese characters.

"Not again," I said out loud as I've had past tendencies to order stupid stuff off TikTok and Facebook that I really didn't need, but a couple of beers or so told me I did.

However, this time I was confident that it wasn't the result of a boozy night. In fact, it was something I would never order, regardless of my state of mind: a cap to be worn while swimming or biking.

It turns out that knockoff companies are sending random and useless stuff to people every day in the mail. According to the Federal Trade Commission, you are not obligated to send it back or pay for it and should check your bank account immediately for any fraudulent activity.

If you recall the whole "seeds from China" scam, this is another branch that's operating under the same sketchy concept.

Some of these items may have been sent to you from clicking on a phishing link that offers free trials and others from knockoff companies that have one objective after selling you something: to hack your bank account.

Let's circle back for a moment at the parcel I received the other day. A swim cap, really? First of all, summer is over and the water temperature is too cold, so why would I even want this? That alone was a red flag for me and I intend to contact the company located on the return address to get to the bottom of this unwanted and unordered merchandise.

For further information on what to do if you've been selected as an unlucky customer, here is a link from the FTC Consumer Information Department that will help you with your situation as it did for me: