Officials are urging residents to report any unsolicited packages of seeds that appear to have been sent from China.
The agriculture departments in Washington, Louisiana, Kansas, and Virginia have issued statements in recent days, noting that residents had reported receiving packages of seeds in the mail that they had not ordered.
The seeds appear to have been mailed in white pouches displaying Chinese lettering and the words “China Post.” Some of the packages were labeled to say they contained jewelry
Officials are also instructing recipients not to plant them, warning that they might be invasive or otherwise harmful.
“Unsolicited seeds could be invasive, introduce diseases to local plants or be harmful to livestock,” the Washington state Department of Agriculture said.
The packets do not appear to be harmful and are suspected to be part of a “brushing scam”, which is when online retailers send unsolicited packages and write positive reviews under the guise of a verified order to help boost their online presence.
