By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
So if some mysterious seeds show up in your mailbox, now is not the time to test your green thumb.
Several Ohio residents have notified the Ohio Department of Agriculture that they have received unsolicited packages in the mail containing seeds that appear to have originated from China.
It’s unknown what type of seeds are in the packets that have been received recently across the U.S.
The concerns are that the unsolicited seeds could be invasive species, contain noxious weeds, could introduce diseases to local plants, or could be harmful to livestock. Invasive species and noxious weeds can displace native plants and increase costs of food production.
“We just don’t know what they are,” said Craig Everett, horticulturist with the OSU Extension Office in Wood County.
The fact that the USDA is putting out warnings is notable.
“They are looking at this as a pretty serious possible threat,” Everett said Monday afternoon.
The warnings caution that the seeds could be for noxious plants that could rapidly overtake other plants, or that they could contain toxins that could spread to feedlots where livestock are grazing, Everett said.
People receiving packages of these seeds are asked to not plant them. If they are in sealed packaging, people are cautioned to not even open the sealed package.
You can report the seeds to ODA Website: https://arcg.is/HiKH9 or you may contact the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Anti-smuggling Hotline by calling 800-877-3835 or by emailing SITC.Mail@aphis.usda.gov.
People receiving the seeds are also asked to retain the original packaging, since that information may be useful to trade compliance officers as they work through this issue.
“They are being very cautious,” said Amy Stone, the OSU Extension agent in Lucas County. “It’s not a hoax. It’s for real,” she said of the concerns.
Ohio isn’t the only state where people are receiving unsolicited seeds. Virginia, Washington, Louisiana, Kansas, Utah and Arizona state agriculture departments are also warning of residents receiving unsolicited packages containing seeds.
Some of the packages were labeled as jewelry and may have Chinese writing on them, according to agriculture officials.
However, a nearby police department – in Whitehouse – theorizes that the mystery seeds may all be part of an elaborate scam.
The Whitehouse Police Department warned on Saturday on Facebook of local residents receiving unsolicited seeds. According to the department, this may be part of what is called a “brushing” scam.
A Whitehouse resident called police after receiving a package in the mail with Chinese writing and a return address in China. The package was labeled as containing jewelry but was found to have a small bag of what appeared to be seeds. The resident did not order any such item.
The investigating police officer called the US Postal Inspector’s Office and learned that similar packages have recently been arriving on U.S. doorsteps.
The police department explained in a Facebook post that a brushing scam is an exploit by a vendor used to bolster product ratings and increase visibility online by shipping an inexpensive product to an unwitting receiver and then submitting positive reviews on the receiver’s behalf.
Since the address the scammer shipped the inexpensive product to is legitimate, the scammer can write an online review as a “verified” buyer. The verified buyer reviews can be used to entice online shoppers into buying an illegitimate product.
Still, the police department advised residents to contact them so they can properly dispose of the seeds.
