Massachusetts police officer warning public of scam that he himself was sent

The number of scams out there continue to grow because they continue to make criminals money. Here’s another to be aware of that was experienced by a Dartmouth police officer.

The scam is as follows:

You receive a package in the mail that you didn’t order.

Inside is a sparkly “diamond” ring. Yours to keep, “no strings attached”.

With the ring is an envelope and card including a QR code to register your “purchase”, activate your “Limited Lifetime Warranty”, and view the “Certificate of Authentic” (yes, it says Limited Lifetime, Certificate of Authentic, and multiple other spelling and grammatical errors).

If you don’t want to scan the QR code, you can visit the provided website to learn more.

Once you scan the code, or visit the site… BAM!

All of your personal information is at risk of, or may have been, compromised.

Dartmouth PD states that according to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, this example of a brushing scam has an added component of quishing, otherwise known as QR phishing. Brushing scams begin as an unsolicited delivery of a package that may also include a QR code which directs you to a phishing website to try and steal your personal data.

Protect yourself and your information.

DO NOT scan any QR codes you are not familiar with.

DO NOT visit any websites that appear to be suspicious.

DO NOT give anyone your personal information.

Here is a video from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service with some additional details concerning these types of scams and what to do next: