The U.S. Department of Agriculture&#;s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has identified 14 varieties of mysterious seeds purportedly sent from China to U.S. citizens who didn&#;t order them. The known varieties include rosemary, sage, mint and hibiscus. The common herbs hardly seem a threat, but APHIS maintains its warning&#;reiterated by all 50 states&#;that recipients of unsolicited seed shipments should not plant them.

The company is the world’s best china fruit seeds manufacturers supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.

&#;Our main concern is the potential for these seeds to introduce damaging pests or diseases that could harm U.S. agriculture,&#; APHIS said in a thorough statement on the seed situation, posted on the USDA&#;s website. Osama El-Lissy, an official with APHIS, said the 14 seeds represent &#;just a subset of the samples we have collected so far.&#;

The strange seeds began appearing in Americans&#; mailboxes at least two months ago, often arriving in packages marked as containing jewelry. One man in Arkansas planted the seeds he received and nurtured them to growth. He then reported the incident to the Arkansas Department of Agriculture once authorities issued the public warnings. Local authorities have since dug up the offending plant.

Reports say the majority of these mysterious seed packets have been shipped from China, although China foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said last week that the China Post shipping labels found on the packets had been forged. Wang said China Post &#;prohibits seeds from conveyance by post&#; and had requested the U.S. Postal Service &#;send those fake packages to China for investigation.&#;

It&#;s not only the U.S. on the receiving end of this bizarre scheme, and it isn&#;t always China that&#;s marked as the country of origin. A woman in the U.K. and another in Canada received seeds purporting to be from Singapore. Meanwhile, a woman in New Zealand was sent seeds reportedly from Zambia. New Zealand&#;s Ministry of Primary Industries intercepted the seeds before they arrived, replacing them with a note warning the woman not to import seeds illegally.

Most countries regulate the import of seeds and other organic material, to protect against invasive species. In the U.S., gardeners have previously been blamed for unleashing Japanese knotweed and butterfly bush on American soil, while the U.K.&#;s Animal and Plant Health Agency intercepts around 1,000 plant-related shipments a year.

The latest batch of mysterious seed parcels has received more media attention than normal, perhaps due to the deterioration of China-U.S. relations. Some pundits have wondered aloud whether the seed shipments could be an act of state-sponsored ecoterrorism. The USDA, however, says there&#;s no evidence to suggest the fraudulent packages are anything other than a &#;brushing scam.&#;

Brushing is when a seller on an e-commerce site, such as Amazon, boosts their ranking by falsifying reviews and sales. Mailing cheap products to unsuspecting customers is one way to do that. The practice is common in China.

Jack Ma, founder of China&#;s largest e-commerce site Alibaba, has said that when his eBay-alternative started, he and the other employees did a similar thing: listing their own items and selling them to each other, in order to make the website seem more active.

Why "Mystery Seeds" From China Are Popping Up in People's Mailboxes

Have you received any &#;mystery seeds&#; in your mailbox lately? If so, you're not alone.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), thousands of people across the country have reported receiving suspicious, unmarked and unsolicited packages of seeds that appear to come from somewhere in China. The strange seed packages have popped up in mailboxes across at least 22 states, including Iowa &#; for no apparent reason.

Seeds are likely a &#;brushing scam&#;

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says the mystery seeds appear to be part of a global &#;brushing scam,&#; which happens when your name and mailbox are used as props in a fake purchase.

In a brushing scam, a shady company will pay itself for an online order, send an unsolicited package to you as cover and post a fake positive review online in your name &#; all to get a boost in search results for online stores like Amazon (better reviews = higher search rankings and potentially more business). If Amazon tries to verify the review, the scammer then uses the mail tracking number from the fake order to &#;prove&#; that a purchase and delivery were made. 

Are you interested in learning more about china fruit seeds supplier? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!

Brushing scams can involve more than just seeds. In fact, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) reports people have received a number of other items in unmarked packages lately, ranging from ping pong balls to masks. However, the mystery seeds seem to be popping up the most.

What to do if you receive mystery seeds:

If you receive strange seeds in the mail, do NOT open them, do NOT throw them away and do NOT plant them. Instead, follow the USDA's advice and forward the package to its closest office:

• Place all materials (seeds and packaging) inside a larger mailing envelope. If you already opened the package, place the seeds and packaging into a new zip-lock bag to re-seal. 
• Include your name, address and number so an Ag official can contact you for additional information, if needed.
• Mail the envelope to the closest USDA office in your state (use the USDA's location finder). 

If for some reason you are unable to mail the package, you should reach out to your local state plant health director to arrange a no-contact pickup or drop-off location.

It's very important that you don't plant the seeds, even if they seem harmless. Foreign seeds could carry seed-born viruses, other diseases or invasive plant species that endanger agriculture and natural resources in your area.

Are the seeds a health risk?

Officials aren't aware of any human health risks, but the USDA recommends to wear gloves when handling the mystery seed packages, out of an abundance of caution.

So far, investigators have identified harmless seeds of at least 14 different plant species in the strange packets &#; ranging from vegetables and herbs like cabbage, rosemary and sage; to flowers like roses and hibiscus. Still, it's best to be cautious. 

Brushing scams: What else can you do?

At a high level, there's not much you can do to avoid brushing scams, since your name and address are available in so many different places. Just to be safe, if you do receive an unsolicited package, you should change the password on all of your online accounts &#; especially your financial ones and shopping sites like Amazon and eBay.

If the package includes other personal information, like your number, you can file a complaint with the FTC. You should always monitor your online accounts for fraudulent activity (SNB makes this easy with online and mobile banking). And if the package comes with a return address of an online seller like Amazon, notify that company so they can investigate the fraud.

Finally, remember that a company can never demand a payment for sending you an unsolicited package that you never ordered. If somebody does this, it's a scam.

PHOTO CREDIT: U.S. Department of Agriculture

Was this article helpful?

Stay up-to-date with the latest scam updates and fraud prevention tips by subscribing to our Security Matters newsletter.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of china grain seeds manufacturers. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.