Updated --- If you receive seeds in in the mail from China that you did not order...

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JEDIYoda

JEDIYoda

Lifer
Jul 13, 2005
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This could be important......

Today we received reports of people receiving seeds in the mail from China that they did not order. The seeds are sent in packages usually stating that the contents are jewelry. Unsolicited seeds could be invasive, introduce diseases to local plants, or be harmful to livestock.

Here's what to do if you receive unsolicited seeds from another country:

1) DO NOT plant them and if they are in sealed packaging (as in the photo below) don't open the sealed package.

2) This is known as agricultural smuggling. Report it to USDA and maintain the seeds and packaging until USDA instructs you what to do with the packages and seeds. They may be needed as evidence. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/…/impor…/sa_sitc/ct_antismuggling
110313157_10158360747467906_7183450577242497474_o.jpg
 
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S

Spacehead

Lifer
Jun 2, 2002
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JEDIYoda said:
This could be important......

Today we received reports ...
Click to expand...
Who is "we"?
jZGgghi.png


Could be magic beans. Think what you could be missing out on.


Red Squirrel said:
I guess they are banking on the fact that someone will be curious and just plant these random seeds in their garden?
Click to expand...
I mean, who would want to plant some 汉字汉字32050105684000 in their garden?
 
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mopardude87

mopardude87

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Oct 22, 2018
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I keep thinking Americas wealth was founded on tobacco and if i recall it was smuggled illegally. Was apparently punishable by death but i forgot who did it exactly.
 
Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
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Looks like this is happening all over the world. Some in Canada, and Japan as well from what I heard. Wonder what the motive behind this one is, maybe they are genetically modified to do something harmful if someone happens to plant it?
 
fralexandr

fralexandr

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Apr 26, 2007
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Red Squirrel said:
Looks like this is happening all over the world. Some in Canada, and Japan as well from what I heard. Wonder what the motive behind this one is, maybe they are genetically modified to do something harmful if someone happens to plant it?
Click to expand...

most places report that it's a "brushing scam" for sellers/items to get more positive verified purchaser reviews. So they just send out random cheap objects, in this case seeds, and make fake reviews on the transactions.
jediyoda's link has more information on that also.
 
Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
67,347
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fralexandr said:
most places report that it's a "brushing scam" for sellers/items to get more positive verified purchaser reviews. So they just send out random cheap objects, in this case seeds, and make fake reviews on the transactions.
jediyoda's link has more information on that also.
Click to expand...
That seems like an odd thing, why would you need to send stuff to random people to leave a review and why would you not just send it to yourself so at least you have it? Seems like a waste of money just so you can leave a review.
 
mindless1

mindless1

Diamond Member
Aug 11, 2001
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Meh, some people have lost their minds.

It is not important, and even if it were something invasive, you can buy invasive species of plants legally, any day of the year from US sellers.

If it has a fungicide or insecticide, it's not going to "destroy crops". It is really sad when people take an alarmist position without any clue.

Suppose for a moment that this is some super secret genetically modified plant that is going to grow into a dragon and eat your family. At some point you'd have to be thinking to yourself "hey, that looks more like a dragon than a plant", lol.
 
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lxskllr

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
57,410
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I'd totally plant those seeds, just to see what comes up. Stick them in pots. Unless there's some Chinese walking plant I'm unaware of, it isn't going anywhere.
 
Scarpozzi

Scarpozzi

Lifer
Jun 13, 2000
26,389
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lxskllr said:
I'd totally plant those seeds, just to see what comes up. Stick them in pots. Unless there's some Chinese walking plant I'm unaware of, it isn't going anywhere.
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It might grow hemp. You could then use that to get CBD oil which cures everything....maybe even Rona! The Chinese are trying to make amends!!!! We're saved!!!!!
 
P

pmv

Lifer
May 30, 2008
13,036
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Either Triffids or those pods from invasion of the body snatchers.
 
Fanatical Meat

Fanatical Meat

Lifer
Feb 4, 2009
34,554
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Thing I saw on the news which makes sense is its some kind of amazon review scam. Amazon checks to see if products were shipped to a customer. The product could be anything.
The way it works is there are compromised amazon accounts or names, address and email. The company will ship random stuff sometime even a small package of rocks, then post glowing reviews for their product.
As a sales guy this has all the markings of someone going too far with a scam.
 
Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
67,347
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Fanatical Meat said:
Thing I saw on the news which makes sense is its some kind of amazon review scam. Amazon checks to see if products were shipped to a customer. The product could be anything.
The way it works is there are compromised amazon accounts or names, address and email. The company will ship random stuff sometime even a small package of rocks, then post glowing reviews for their product.
As a sales guy this has all the markings of someone going too far with a scam.
Click to expand...

That seems like quite a lot of effort just to give a fake review, do people seriously do that? I feel there is way more to it than that, and why with just seeds and why only from China? I feel this is more an attack to try to spread some kind of invasive species or some engineered plant that will do something bad if planted. Maybe like a "virus" version of a plant. Basically a different twist to the second wave of coronavirus.

Is it possible to engineer a plant that grows eggs which then turn to an animal or insect? Could be an interesting way to deliver murder hornets. :p It's 2020, anything is possible this decade.
 
Fanatical Meat

Fanatical Meat

Lifer
Feb 4, 2009
34,554
15,766
136
Red Squirrel said:
That seems like quite a lot of effort just to give a fake review, do people seriously do that? I feel there is way more to it than that, and why with just seeds and why only from China? I feel this is more an attack to try to spread some kind of invasive species or some engineered plant that will do something bad if planted. Maybe like a "virus" version of a plant. Basically a different twist to the second wave of coronavirus.

Is it possible to engineer a plant that grows eggs which then turn to an animal or insect? Could be an interesting way to deliver murder hornets. :p It's 2020, anything is possible this decade.
Click to expand...

Apparently it is fairly common. I could imagine some guy in China who has a $12K budget to advertise and he says hey lets buy a list of prospects we can spoof reviews with and mail 3,000 of them packages of whatever is cheap and light.
Here is the fail point, for a scam to work like that you need to mail stuff but not bomb everyone at once. I'm sure the dude spoke with someone who did this to get like 50 good amazon reviews so he figured I'll do that plus 950 more and I'll get 20 times the result.
Amateur sales person logic.
 
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