People are reportedly receiving mysterious packages of seeds in the mail from China

A miller holds buckwheat's seeds in his hand on November 6, 2017 in Guehenno, western France.
(Image credit: FRED TANNEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

In this week's edition of "2020 continues to get even weirder," Americans are apparently now receiving random, unsolicited packages of seeds in the mail.

U.S. officials are looking into reports that "hundreds of residents have received seeds in the mail they didn't order" that "appear to have mostly originated from China," The Wall Street Journal reports. There have been reports of people receiving the unexplained packages in at least eight states, according to CBS News.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

One possible explanation for this strange phenomenon, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services says, is that it's a "brushing" scam, in which "companies send unsolicited goods to individuals and then post fake, positive reviews of the items on the recipient's behalf," the Journal explains. Some of the packages were evidently labeled to look like they had items like jewelry or earbuds in them.

But Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Mike Strain told the Journal that "I don't think anyone has determined what’s really going on here," adding that if the seeds "are invasive or contain plant pests or disease, from an agricultural point of view, that is our greatest concern." Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles was similarly unsure about what's going on, telling CBS News, "At this point in time, we don't have enough information to know if this is a hoax, a prank, an internet scam or an act of agricultural bio-terrorism."

Explore More
Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.