State agriculture officials are alerting residents to a potential biosecurity threat involving unsolicited packages mailed from China.
The West Virginia Department of Agriculture said in a social media post that packets of seeds have been sent to addresses across the state without being requested.
Officials explained the seed mailings are part of a “brushing scam,” in which sellers ship unsolicited items without a return address to create fake customer reviews that inflate product ratings and sales figures.
Anyone who receives seeds from an unknown sender is urged to report the incident by calling 304-558-3200, according to agriculture officials.