BALTIMORE — A Hampden homeowner is dealing with a mysterious package problem — dozens of Amazon returns are showing up at her door, but they're not meant for her.
For the past two months, Elizabeth Wilson has been inundated with deliveries addressed to someone named Lin Jingran, a person who doesn't live at her address.
The packages contain seemingly random items: bluebird ornaments, women's clothing, and small portable fans.
"I can't believe anybody would order this stuff," Wilson said.
And these unexpected deliveries aren't a happy circumstance, they've become a nuisance.
"So at first, I got two," Wilson explained. "But then every day, I get two or three more. Now today, I got 10."
She hasn't counted them all, but estimates she's received around 100 packages and the deluge shows no signs of stopping.
"I looked at Informed Delivery, and I have 32 more coming, and then tomorrow, maybe 32 more. And, yeah, never stops," Wilson said.
Each package contains Amazon return authorization slips, but the seller - presumably Lin Jingran - listed Elizabeth's address with a slight modification, adding "Drive" to "Ave." We couldn't locate another address matching this description or find the seller's store online.
Wilson has tried resolving the issue herself without success.
"I called Amazon and told them about this, and they took down the tracking number of the first few packages and never heard from them again," she said.
When WMAR-2 News Mallory Sofastaii reached out to Amazon with questions about why a seller would provide an incorrect address, a spokesperson responded: "We thank WMAR for bringing this matter to our attention. Our team is reaching out to the customer to apologize, and we'll work directly with them to resolve this issue."
When asked for additional information, the spokesperson said they don't have anything else to share but they're looking into it.
This isn't an isolated incident. Earlier this month, our ABC affiliate in San Francisco reported on a similar case - a woman receiving hundreds of oversized packages that appeared to be Amazon returns. Amazon provided a nearly identical statement in that case.
"What a mess," Wilson said. "This is almost like another full-time job dealing with this. I don't have time to deal with this but I'm not sure what to do."
This situation appears similar to a "brushing" scam where individuals receive items they never ordered. Sellers use the tracking information to inflate their ratings with fake reviews.
If this happens to you and the package is unopened, you can mark it "return to sender" and USPS will return it at no charge to you.
Since our inquiry, Amazon has contacted Wilson and offered to pick up the packages — but then said they couldn't due to the nature of the items. They told her she can keep, donate, or dispose of the items.
Amazon stated they're actively working to identify and address the root cause of the issue but can't speculate as to why or how this happened. They don't share findings from their internal investigations publicly. As a goodwill gesture, they provided Wilson with a gift card.
Amazon provided these additional tips:
- If you receive a package or item that you didn't order, check with friends and family or contact Customer Service to confirm it's not a gift to you.
- If you receive a package addressed to someone else, please contact Customer Service.
- If you confirm that the package addressed to you wasn't ordered by you or anyone you know, report the package online by going to the Report Unwanted Package form.
- Amazon investigates reports of "brushing" and takes action on bad actors that violate our policies, including suspending or removing selling privileges, withholding payments, and working with law enforcement. Customers don't need to return the item.
This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.