Can I keep something I didn't order?
Can you keep items sent to you as a part of a brushing scam? Yes. Federal law says you can't be forced to pay for items you didn't order.
Whatever you do, don't pay for it — and don't get conned if the sender follows up with a phone call or visit. By law, unsolicited merchandise is yours to keep.
By law, you may keep unsolicited merchandise and are under no obligation to pay for it.
Under state and federal law, recipients of unordered merchandise may keep the goods and are under no obligation to pay for or return them. The recipient may treat the merchandise as an unconditional gift—and may use or dispose of the merchandise as he or she sees fit. The recipient also may refuse to accept delivery.
You will need to contact whoever sent the goods and ask them to collect them. This shouldn't cost you anything or inconvenience you in any way. You should also give the company a reasonable deadline to collect the items, of say, 14 days.
In the United States, if a package is delivered to you by mistake, you are not legally obligated to return it. This law was established to protect consumers from scams involving unsolicited merchandise.
In the United States, mail is considered by law to be private property. Just like you can't steal, damage, destroy, or interfere with someone else's property, you can't open, steal, damage, destroy, hide, or withhold someone else's mail.
Notify the Platform: Contact the online platform where the seller operates. Report the issue and request that the seller be removed.
When you receive a package that you didn't order, it may be a scam called "brushing". "Brushing" scams occur when bad actors send packages to publicly available names and addresses. If you receive a package or item that you didn't order: Confirm that it was not a gift that was sent to you.
Chargeback fraud, also known as "double dipping," is a common form of fraud by consumers that violates any of several fraud laws in California. While it is difficult to convict because of the challenges in proving intent, chargeback fraud can have serious legal implications if you are charged or convicted.
Is it theft if you keep a misdelivered package?
keeping a package delivered to the wrong address is considered theft if you knowingly fail to take reasonable steps to return it to the rightful owner; meaning you should attempt to contact the sender or deliver it to the correct address when you receive a misdelivered package.
It's not exactly morally sound to keep a food delivery that isn't yours, but there isn't a definitive answer as to whether it's illegal. Nevertheless, keeping misdelivered packages without trying to correct the mistake is considered theft and punishable by law.
By law, companies can't send unordered merchandise to you, then demand payment. That means you never have to pay for things you get but didn't order. You also don't need to return unordered merchandise. You're legally entitled to keep it as a free gift.
Unsolicited Packages
This is called an “unsolicited good.” When you're sent an unsolicited good, you're within your rights to keep them. You have no obligation to send the item back or pay for it. If the company sends you an invoice for the item, you can ignore them.
No, you cannot keep money that is deposited in your account in error.
Stealing an Amazon package can be classified as a federal offense. This is because packages that Amazon, UPS, or FedEx deliver are often considered to be part of the mail system under federal law.
If your package shows as delivered but you can't find it, check your shipping address, look for delivery notices, search around the delivery location, and ask household members or neighbors. Wait 48 hours, as packages may be scanned early.
We may take a photo when delivering your package to show it's safe and where it's located. You can view these photos in Your Orders. We use them to verify delivery, audit quality, and troubleshoot issues. You can opt out of this service in Your Orders or by contacting us.
If you outright say a package was delivered to a wrong address, driver will get a policy violation for it. If you simply say package is missing, driver will get a "did not receive" hit to their standing which is usually less severe.
Provided there is no malicious intent, the legal system typically does not treat the accidental opening of another person's mail as a criminal act. However, intentionally misusing mail belonging to someone else may fall under obstruction of correspondence, mail tampering or mail fraud.
Can I keep a parcel that was delivered to me by mistake?
Normally, you have every right to keep them. In fact, the law is on your side too. No law will force you to return the items that have been wrongly delivered to you to the sender or to pay for them.
Only one of the top 10 metro areas experiencing the most package theft is in a state where porch piracy is a felony. Those cities were ranked by Vivint, a home security firm, using Google Trends data combined with FBI data on larceny: San Francisco, California.
The term “brushing” originates from Chinese e-commerce, where the act of “brushing up” sales numbers involves creating fake orders and sending goods to random individuals. This practice boosts a product's perceived popularity, tricking other buyers into thinking the product is highly rated, thus increasing its sales.
While different retail companies may have different specific refund policies, all companies should be willing to refund your shipping fees in the case of a late delivery. You'll likely need to request the refund through the company's Customer Service web page, or call the listed Customer Service phone number.
It's a scam. People across the country and even here in San Diego County have reported receiving mysterious packages addressed to them with a sparkling ring inside. But there's something else lurking in the package that could cause harm.
