Why are mystery seeds being shipped to random people?
Demon seeds? Photo: Washington State Department of Agriculture/Facebook Packets of mysterious, unasked-for seeds are circulating within the postal system, having now landed at doorsteps in all 50 states. Although government officials lack concrete leads to explain the sudden seed onslaught, they suspect a scam afoot — a scam that may involve some shadowy seed purveyor leaving hyper-enthusiastic reviews on Ebay, in your name. Cringe.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the unsolicited seed packets appear to have come from China, although China’s foreign ministry says the shipping labels were forged. Still, according to seed recipients, the packaging sometimes advertises jewelry, a shiny enticement to open the envelope and free the seeds. One Allison Parrell told DCist that her surprise delivery was billed as “stud earrings,” a cunning disguise that masked strange, pale seeds sealed in plastic.
There are also quite a few types of seeds bouncing around out there: Some people have reported small, dark, pellet-like seeds, while others have received flat seeds that look like they came out of a squash, and still others came up with seeds that resemble lentils. The USDA begs you, please, not to plant any seeds “from unknown origins,” because doing so could introduce invasive species into the country.
But definitely, contact your State plant regulatory official or APHIS State plant health director about any unexpected seed deliveries, because it’s possible you’ve been implicated in a “brushing scam.” As scams go, this one sounds relatively benign: Often, CNN reports, third-party vendors can only post product reviews for fulfilled orders.
If the seeds turn up in your mailbox, an embarrassing Amazon review may be the worst thing that happens. Personally, though, I would not expect to get off that easily; not now that we know how much chaos demon seed can create.
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