Brushing Up on e-Commerce

Photo by Nik on Unsplash

I had just sat down to the computer, with my first cup of coffee, when I noticed that my credit card had texted me about a $38 charge from Amazon. Checking Amazon on the computer, it reported that not one, but six items had been delivered and were sitting on the front porch. Checking out front, I found a pile of boxes sitting there. I hauled them in and then went back to the computer. My Amazon orders showed two new orders, $54.86 and $141.41.

These orders included the following items: a Dyson replacement battery, wrist blood pressure monitor, outdoor projector screen, 16-drawer acrylic organizer and nail polish and ear wax removing kits. None of these things had I ordered. I hadn’t even looked at any of them online. All of this stuff was paid for with a gift card, except for the $38 charged to my card. I printed shipping labels where allowed. Most items only allowed me to print a QR code coupon. I then trundled up to the local UPS store with all of the packages. 

I expect to get my $38 refunded. Plus, I should get the $158.27 balance credited to my Amazon account, where it will eventually get spent, but for the life of me I cannot see how this scam makes any economic sense. Googling “unordered Amazon packages” and I got “brushing”, a fraud scheme where third-party e-commerce sellers send unsolicited, low-cost packages to people to generate fake positive reviews and boost seller ratings. I could understand how such a scheme could work if they were preying upon internet influencers like Kylie Jenner or the like, but I am a nobody. Who cares what I think about nail polish kits? Anyway, I changed my Amazon password and ordered all sessions logged out. And to think when I got up, I was wondering what I could blog about today.

Tax the Rich!

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Just not me! We got a property tax bill for my father’s house. It had jumped by three times what it had been. It will be due in January. What do rich people do when they are faced with a situation like this? We engaged a lawyer. I don’t really understand our strategy, but that is what the lawyer is for. Anyway, this approach dovetails nicely with what our realtor had recommended that is to simply delay, deny and dismiss. Hopefully, long enough to sell the house.