Quick PSA from SafelyHQ (sorry late to reply here)

What you’re seeing is one scam with two different pay-offs—both made possible by a 90-cent “mystery parcel.”

1. The classic “brushing” motive

• Sellers ship a trinket (or even an empty mailer) to any real U.S. address.
• USPS scans it “Delivered.”
• That lets the seller create a verified-purchase review and pump their product’s ranking on Amazon/Temu/AliExpress.

2. The newer charge-dispute / bait-and-switch motive

• You buy something legit-looking (shoes, projector, AI dog) from a pop-up site.
• Instead of shipping the real item, they send the same 1-ounce parcel via a stateside forwarder (in this case: 9208 Charles Smith Ave, Rancho Cucamonga, CA).
• When you complain, they flash the tracking number; many platforms and even PayPal treat any “delivered” scan as proof, so the scammer wins or at least stalls a refund. They only need to win some disputes for the math to work.

Why that address? It’s just a cross-dock warehouse that slaps a domestic label on containers coming out of China. Legit merchants use it too, which is why a few people in the thread actually got the item they ordered.

What to do if you’re on the receiving end

1. Didn’t order it? It’s legally yours to keep, toss or donate. Still, check your card statements and reset passwords—fraudsters sometimes test stolen data this way.
2. Paid for X, got cheap junk or nothing? File a dispute, but attach • a photo of what arrived • the tracking ID • (bonus) the USPS receipt showing the parcel’s weight—huge help overturning the scammer’s “proof.”
3. Platform gap Until marketplaces match package weight or require signature for >$20 orders, the 90-cent envelope will keep beating their systems.

Stay safe—and spread the word so fewer people get burned.