By Jennifer Stultz
Tri-County Tribune Editor
jstultz@cherryroad.com

Pratt County Sheriff’s Office has released a statement regarding a prevalent scam that has emerged during the Christmas shopping season.

According to the release, a “brushing” scam has shown up in several states and those who receive an unexpected gift or item not ordered in the mail from a place like Amazon or other company should be aware.

Scammers are sending gifts such as rings, bracelets, necklaces, Bluetooth speaker, etc. to random addresses. The gift will have the recipient’s address, but not include the sender’s information or be from a known retailer. When the recipient opens the package to see what it is and possibly who sent it, there is a QR code to scan to find out who sent the gift.

Once the code is scanned, all the information from that phone will be sent to scammers. They receive all access to the phone. All personal and financial information is accessible to the scammers and often the victim’s bank accounts are drained.

The sheriff’s department has stated that the gift can be kept or thrown away, but the QR code should NOT be scanned for any reason. Avoid scanning any unknown QR codes included in the package, and report any activity of this nature to the local police or sheriff’s department.