State warns about unsolicited seed shipments

The Delaware Department of Agriculture is warning people about shipments of seeds sent through the mail after several residents reported they received unsolicited packages.

The ag department learned there were several random shipments and more residents have been impacted, said Stacey Hofmann, DDA chief of community relations.

Based on information provided by residents, she said, the packages were sent by mail and may have Chinese writing on them. All contained some sort of seed packet either alone, or with jewelry or another inexpensive item, she said.

“It is believed that these shipments are part of a brushing scam where shippers send out low-cost items at their own expense in order to rank higher on e-commerce sites. Brushing helps the seller create a more legitimate appearance to their profiles,” Hofmann said.

Anyone who has received a package with seeds is asked to report the shipment to the Smuggling Interdiction and Trade Compliance Program by calling the smuggling hotline at 1-800-877-3835. Recipients are asked to leave everything inside the package to help investigators trace the origin. SITC will provide instructions on how to handle the seeds and in case they were planted, how the plants should be handled.

The seeds have not been identified, but based upon the packages there are multiple plant varieties being shipped illegally, Hofmann said. No one should ever plant seeds they did not order, because they could be an invasive species, she said.