The Case of the Adopt A Ghost: Mystery gift or brushing scam?

“Who’s this from?” I wondered when I opened the small package and discovered an Adopt A Ghost inside. It was a logical question since I hadn’t ordered it, and it didn’t include a gift message.

However, it also made me wonder something else. “Do they sell this version on Amazon too?”

I recently received a variation on the same theme as a birthday gift from a friend. She’d spotted the “adoption jar” version of the Adopt A Ghost in The Boo-tique section of the Skareporium and decided I needed it. Little did she know I was planning on buying one for Smalls so he could test it and help me promote that and other things from our Amazon storefront. But she beat me to it.

Two Types of Adopt a Ghosts

Part of me liked the boxed version better. At least, I liked the packaging better. I also liked that it came with a little scroll inside that told the ghost’s name (Lolly), occupation (shoemaker), likes (trains), dislikes (bunions), and the date she was born (6th Dec 1919).

But the birthdate was a little confusing. Was it actually the day she died as a human and was born as a ghost? I’m inclined to think it’s her ghost birthday, but I’m not sure.

I also liked the little quote, which I presume is from Lolly, that was included on the scroll. “Many times the wrong train took me to the right place.” Words of wisdom that only come from a life well lived.

However, the jar is nice because you can name your own ghost, write it on the included sticker, put it on the jar, and carry your ghost around with you. Or not. You can, of course, just place it in a static spot and display the ghost that way. (I kind of like the idea of having it travel with me.)

Both are cute. But before I researched whether or not I could add the boxed version to the Skareporium, I needed to figure out who sent it so I could thank them.

The Adopt A Ghost Sender Mystery

I started by asking friends who I thought might send something like that. They all said, “Nope. Not me.”

Stumped, I tried the friend who had sent the one in the jar. I knew it was unlikely, considering she’d just sent me one, but maybe she’d seen the boxed version and liked it better too. Nope.

I expanded my search to a few other friends. No luck there, either.

Well, shoot. Talk about hitting a dead end.

Before I realized it was also available on Amazon, I thought it might have come from Etsy. Maybe searching the sender’s name would turn up some answers?

I Googled “Jerry Yas” and “Rancho Cucamonga” and was shocked by what came up. Instead of an Etsy shop, I discovered dozens of complaints to the Better Business Bureau.

Basically, a lot of other people reported they, too, had received a package they hadn’t ordered from Jerry Yas. There were also a few complaints where the person had ordered something but either had not received it or didn’t receive the product they ordered and couldn’t get any customer support.

But for the most part, it looked like some kind of scam. Specifically, a brushing scam.

Brushing Scams

Not too long ago —only a couple of weeks before I got this package, in fact— one of our local news ran a story about brushing scams. They sound really stupid, and I’m not sure what the point of them is exactly. At least, not how the United States Postal Service explains them.

Basically, you receive something in the mail you didn’t order, like a brush or some other small, inconsequential item. Or items. Some people have received packages with a few low-value items in them, like a bunch of nails or random metal pieces.

The USPS says a sender’s name often isn’t included and “is usually an international, third-party seller who has found the recipient’s address online. The intention is to give the impression that the recipient is a verified buyer who has written positive online reviews of the merchandise, meaning: they write a fake review in your name.”

Sounds harmless, but they have a bunch of five-star fake reviews with legitimate-looking items to get people to order from them. Then they send worthless crap buyers can’t return or get a refund for.

The report our local news did about brushing scams indicated sometimes scammers are also trying to bank on people’s kindness. Most people want to make sure a wrong delivery gets returned. Maybe the scammers try to get your credit card info or something if you are able to contact them.

All advice suggests that if you find yourself in this situation, you either throw the item out or keep it if you can use it.

Still, it was a little disconcerting to know that, as the USPS put it, “the reality is that your personal information may be compromised.”

Great. Another “upside” of all the data breaches this year, like AT&T and Ticketmaster. (Both of which I know I was affected by.)

Adopt A Ghost brushing scam?

Had someone sent me the ghost to use my name in a fake review? That’s how I found out the boxed Adopt a Ghost was sold on Amazon. As far as I could tell, no one had used my name to write a review.

But how had they gotten my name to begin with? Had some shyster somehow snagged it from the other jar ghost that my friend gave me?

I still have no idea. All I know is that I read a lot of the complaints on the Better Business Bureau from people who received similar packages from the same sender. Some were empty, some contained random tidbits, and a few even said their packages contained garbage.

I didn’t come across another Adopt A Ghost package, though. The ghost itself looks cheap but retails between $5-$9. That’s why, even though the sender’s name is tied to fraud and scams, I’m holding out hope someone legitimately sent it to me and just hasn’t come forward yet. Because it certainly isn’t a $1 brush from the Dollar Store.

Also, it’s hard to believe a scammer randomly picked such an item to send me. It feels more targeted, like they researched something I might like that would catch my attention, which is disconcerting.

Maybe they hoped I’d do exactly what I’m doing now by writing about it. I don’t know. It’s why I debated writing this post at all. Ultimately, I decided to because if it is a brushing scam, I never expected to be part of one. If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone. Maybe it will help someone else. The more we know, right?

Check-In

Have you heard of brushing scams before, or is this the first you’ve learned of them?