The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is warning residents to discard unordered seeds they may receive in the mail.
People who receive the seeds are asked to keep the seeds and the packaging, do not plant or throw them away and, if opened, double bag and seal them.
According to the department, people have received nationwide, seeds shipped from overseas that are in packages labeled as jewelry.
The unordered and mislabeled seeds might contain plant diseases, weeds or invasive plants that could harm Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry and ecosystem.
“Seeds sold in Pennsylvania are rigorously tested to ensure that they are genetically pure and regulated to ensure that what’s on the label is what’s in the package,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. “Planting seeds without knowing what they are can wreak havoc with our environment, destroy agricultural crops and incur costly control efforts for years to come.”
Seeds labeled as jewelry are likely a scam known as “brushing.” That is, when companies boost their online sales by purchasing their own products through fake buyer accounts created by the company.
The products are shipped to the address of someone who did not order them and the seller writes a positive review about them from the fake buyer account.
The package must be reported to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) via its confidential Antismuggling Hotline (800-877-3835) or by emailing SITC.Mail@aphis.usda.gov.
The USDA will provide further instructions.