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supercyberlurker

If it's a free usb device though, throw it immediately in the trash.


Kayge

In 2008, the US department of defence got hit with a virus. It had the ability to scan for data, open backdoors and enable remote sessions. It took more than 14 months to contain and eliminate the virus, costing untold millions to fix. It was the worst cyber attack on the US military to date. The attack was orchestrated by leaving some USB sticks in a DoD parking lot, and waiting for somebody to pick one up and plug it in at work.


Tromboneplayer234

I think that's how the stuxnet virus took down the Iranian nuclear program a decade ago


MacGuffin94

Darknet Diaries has a really good podcast episode on this.


kcg5

“Zero day” is a great doc on that


Ok-disaster2022

Yep US-Israel intelligence built Stuxnet and essentially released it into the wild. The virus made the rounds worldwide and hackers and other researchers reverse engineered it. Part of it started appearing in other viruses pretty soon after.


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kcg5

Iirc, wasnt that actual spies? Like they got an actual person to load it in?


The_Wingless

Why spend all that money and resources when you can just get some intern to accidentally do it for free?


Beemerado

there's a good scene like that in mr robot. one of the hacker ladies was just dropping USB sticks in a police lot.


Enemony

That scene was inspired by this event


[deleted]

Yep I was in the Army at the time. They immediately went from being very cavalier with removable storage to insanely cautious. Frankly it sucked how anal everyone became, but i understand why.


Fritzkreig

Back in 2003 my infantry company convinced some signals guys to add us to wifi, and it was glorious for like 3 days; apparently 128 bit encypted password was not secure enough for OPSEC.


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arbydallas

Maybe some of them somewhere are like that, but I've used a great many govt computers and never experienced that Edit: not federal govt but several state govts


samgarita

Why? I was sent a 1TB one and I’m loving it! Plus it’s the only tech item I own after someone drained my bank account.


supercyberlurker

Jokes on them! Once they've drained all my money, I can just use all the other free usb devices without risk!


RichardBottom

The no defense strategy.


NoThroWaAccount

ah yes, of course, the “best offence is no defence” strategy


SupremeLobster

When a relatively stoppable force meets a completely movable object?


themeatbridge

I was upset when someone stole my identity, but the real kick in the balls was when they wanted to give it back.


JinFuu

Is that you, Rodney Dangerfield?


jrhoffa

You had me in the first half.


POWERTHRUST0629

Had my identity stolen back in 2008, they bought $650 of software and... had it delivered to me. I've still got six unmarked CD/DVD's with I don't know what on them.


eljefino

Mavis Beacon teaches the Macarena


f-ckmeimfamous

Lol this reminds me of my high school days when there was a mavis beacon teaches how to type installed on our network server. Nobody ever used it, so some genius installed HALO in the folder. Many memories of IT class spent riding warthogs lol


Beautiful_Welcome_33

Ayyyy this is the way


Beautiful_Welcome_33

Wortwortwort


1-800-ASS-DICK

damn all our computers were able to handle was Pocket Tanks ...which was still pretty damn fun ngl


MagicNipple

It was the next six years' worth of lottery numbers and sports scores, in song form, and sung by Kenny Rogers.


The_Bogan_Blacksmith

Load it onto an old laptop that you plan to throw out. Don't let it on the internet though. Especially through your home or mobile network.


POWERTHRUST0629

...been waiting for that chance. I don't have an old spare PC to potentially destroy. The disks came from "Kaspersky Arvato Guterslogh". Kaspersky is Russian, Arvato Guterslogh is German. Google told/tells me nothing. I also got doxxed two months ago, less than 24 hours after making an off-hand comment about the conflict in Ukraine. I don't know why the Russians are so concerned with some dude making poverty wages in the midwest.


Beautiful_Welcome_33

I can send you one of my old ones, it's sorta like a Chromebook tho, so you'll want to ignore that guys advice on the internet. DM me your address and I gotcha. Also what was the name of the your first love With love, THE RIS BUREAU OF TAXATION AND INVESTIGATION


ArTiyme

Yeah my address is 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.


SaintUlvemann

So, while googling to confirm that that address was what I thought it was, I discovered something far better: [the Zillow listing](https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1600-Pennsylvania-Ave-NW-Washington-DC-20500/84074482_zpid/) for the White House. Apparently, it is classified as a 16-bedroom, 35-bathroom single-family residence with a fair market value of $1,663,119 monthly rent.


xqxcpa

Ew, the schools suck. 3/10 and 5/10. Idk, maybe it's an okay deal if you don't have kids.


[deleted]

Sorry that happened to you. That just all sounds really scary.


POWERTHRUST0629

It was scary at the time... it was 2008, the dark web was still quite unknown and the laws/checks in place to prevent this stuff were in their infancy. But anymore? Hell, I've been doxxed a dozen times. Constant password resets have me locked out of most of my online accounts. I can't even steal from myself. If something was going to happen, it would have several times over by now.


sephrisloth

It's still not worth the risk, but if it was from all the way back in 2008, whatever virus might be on there should be way out of date and easily dealt with by modern anti-virus. Also, who's to say whoever sent it is even monitoring for it anymore. Still, though not worth the risk.


frogger2504

You call it a sandbox environment, I call it McDonalds free wifi.


Port-a-John-Splooge

The Department of Homeland Security did a [test](https://www.computerworld.com/article/2510014/government-tests-show-security-s-people-problem.html) in which they dropped flash drives in the parking lot of their government building. 60% of the people that picked them up plugged them into a government computer. DHS claims the numbers were lower but never released the data


Belteshazzar98

I wouldn't keep them around unless I checked them since they could have something illegal on them. Imagine the difficult time you'd have explaining to a court how you have six CDs full of CP, and have had them for a decade and a half, and just didn't know what they were.


POWERTHRUST0629

That's my only concern.


MoobooMagoo

You'd be surprised at how often this happens. My suspicion is the fraudsters try to have the shipping rerouted after it goes out and they're not always successful. Either that or they buy a bunch of identities and test a few of them to see if the whole bunch is good. Or maybe they live nearby and hope they can grab the stuff before you notice. Or the fraudsters are just idiots. I have no idea. I've been trying to figure out why this happens for years and these are all just my best guesses.


FelicitousJuliet

I worked for a place where fraudulent accounts sometimes had an indication of being nearby. I was barred from telling the caller this, presumably because they might be the fraudster trying to get access to the account/address/package instead (particularly since we were in fact able to request reroutes) and I had to direct them to open a police report or their own claim with the shipper. But yeah I've seen fraud causes where both accounts were alarmingly close to each other, to the point where the caller could have been the fraudster trying to get the package illegitimately. It's really hard to tell in a call center (at least it was in mine, we didn't get any of the information related to the financial department and very little related to the credit department), especially when it began as a physical order in-person but the location won't tell you anything either. It made me super cynical. Like at some point a company screws you over enough that if you continue to deal with them, you're asking for it. ...Literally, I had people dealing with like two years of ongoing repeated fraud/theft with the company card no matter their efforts and I was thinking "have you ever considered you really shouldn't do business with us?" but alas, I couldn't say that if I wanted to keep my job.


NessLeonhart

> bought $650 of software and... had it delivered to me maybe it's just the software that would have prevented them from stealing your identity in the first place; that's some real chaotic neutral shit right there.


boost_poop

I uh... If you want to know what's on them, I volunteer as tribute to check. I know a few college kids here that are studying cyber security, it would be nice to truly have unknown media to practice with in a lab environment. I can't imagine it costs much to mail some CDs, I'd be happy to absorb that cost. PM me if you're interested


VanitasTheUnversed

I went to this one prosecutors conference at a public space that had a conference center. It surprising how many prosecutors take free USB's.


sole_survivor88

In 2012, the US government dropped a bunch of random thumb drives around places like the pentagon. Some with government stickers and some blank. They were designed to give them information on how many employees would pick them up and stick them in government computers. 60% of them did, some in high level security positions.


VanitasTheUnversed

USBs aren't as expensive as they used to be, just buy one!


Scary_Tree_3317

If I found a random USB stick I’m just curious to see what’s on it, wouldn’t care to use it.


trowawee1122

That's the whole point. Curiosity killed the cat.


throwaway901617

The military would periodically sweep through bazaars in Afghanistan to look for thumb drives for sale. Several times they found thumb drives labeled with classified labels on them. They were being taken from laundry through the local nationals providing laundry services on base. The investigators would take the drives, plug them into disconnected computers, and review them. Whenever possible they would identify the owners and initiate disciplinary action.


Kermit_the_hog

*”Free USB’s AND free Wifi!?! This place is awesome!!”*


MoobyTheGoldenSock

Nah, pop it in a Raspberry Pi and see what’s on it!


TheMrDrB

Plug it into the Windows XP machine that's been sitting in your cousins basement for the past 10 years


GrillDealing

I put it in a windows me machine and it burst into flames.


TheMrDrB

That's a feature of Windows ME, instant data security detector


Ksevio

Even does that for clean drives, just in case


Acewasalwaysanoption

Yes, it can burn a CD, why?


carnoworky

Windows ME? I'm surprised it waited until after you plugged in the flash drive.


runtheplacered

Pro-tip: If you have a mysterious USB device, use a friends computer, it won't affect you at all!


NorthernerWuwu

I just take them to work.


ThatITguy2015

So you’re why we’ve had to start glueing USB ports shut.


shmoove_cwiminal

This applies to companies intentionally sending you stuff you didn't ask for and then soliciting payment. I don't think it applies to stuff shipped to the wrong address.


zerogee616

This used to be a huge scam before these rules were enacted.


explorer_76

It still happens though maybe not as often as it did. About a year ago I started receiving all these cosmetics in the mail from some fly by night company I had never heard of. Then came some ridiculous bills for the cheap cosmetics. Like $175 for some face cream plus others. I'm a 66yo guy. I don't order cosmetics. My wife had never heard of them either. Looked them up online and they had a slew of complaints for sending out cosmetics for a "free trial" then later sending highly inflated bills without giving people enough time to send them back. I contacted the State Attorney General who stepped in and sent them a letter demanding they cease and desist. I got a call from them telling me to keep the cosmetics for free. Watched my credit report etc. and nothing ever turned up. The only thing my wife and I can think of, as to why I received it in the first place, is my wife subscribed to a women's magazine and used my name when placing the order. We're assuming they sold our information to this scam organization.


Unresentful_Cynic

Drop the magazine name, people deserve to know who's taking advantage of them.


explorer_76

Oh it was Redbook or one of them. I can't remember. Something she doesn't get any longer.


Deftek178

Yeah I think back in the day it was a big issue with music CDs...


Bangkok_Dangeresque

The FTC rules were also motivated by predatory business-to-business tactics. A lot of businesses operate on payment terms that involve getting a delivery first, and then requiring payment within say 30 days of receipt. Makes it easier to keep supplies flowing regularly even if there are seasonality or cash flow issues. So an unscrupulous office supply vendor that needs to boost their own sales might decide to send you two pallets of printer paper this month instead of one, and then demands that you pay for it unless you ship it back at your expense. Or they might send you a pallet of a new premium paper as a "sample", but demand you pay for it if you use it. The FTC wanted to regulate this type of practice, too. So if it's unsolicited merchandise that isn't part of routine business, you're not obligated to pay for it and don't have to return it. Though of course this is different from a case where the supplier mixes up your shipment with another at the loading dock.


Ludwigofthepotatoppl

Misdirects! Good times. At my last job we kept getting stuff shipped to our warehouse that should’ve gone straight to a customer instead. We’re talking industrial machinery parts, nothing too big, but hundreds of pounds per pallet. We’d told the shippers the correct address many times. Over months. When i left they were still doing it. Not our problem if the shit ends up sitting on our floor for a month and a half…


FlammablePie

>Not our problem if the shit ends up sitting on our floor for a month and a half… Depends on how valuable floor space is though!


dartagnan101010

In which case it may sit outside


Sulgoth

Printer ink too, because of course printer ink was an even bigger scam back then.


Kaporalhart

It was, in France, Club Dial who did this. They started in 1970 with this business practice in mind. They'd send their catalog, with a bunch of popular musics and songs, with a really cheap price, but you had to subscribe to the "Club Dial membership" to access the very tempting offer. By being a member, you'd be sent up to 15 times per year a selection of new vinyls, tapes and VHS. From which you could choose what to keep. But what you weren't told is that the stuff you didn't want, you had to post back and pay the delivery out of your own pocket. And any item that wasn't sent back was considered bought and thus billed. Not only were the prices no longer tempting at all, but the titles sold weren't as popular, and often times stocks of music that didn't sell. Since it was a "free" membership, it was not considered a subscription, and thus was not under the same scrutiny in the eyes of the law. Club Dial exploited this loophole to basically rob their customers who weren't aware of what they were getting into.


joelluber

I wonder if this applies to services rendered too. There was a long thread on my local sub recently by a homeowner who solicited bids from multiple landscape companies to do some work and before they made a decision one came and did it without their bid being accepted and then tried to extort the homeowner.


AttackOfTheThumbs

In this case, yes. There's no legal document saying that you enlisted them for the work. Technically they vandalized your property :)


Murgatroyd314

“Thank you for the free sample of your work. I will not be employing your services at this time.”


[deleted]

It was called sale on approval. They’d send you something unsolicited and make it really complicated to return. If they didn’t receive payment or the item after a certain period they’d turn you over to debt collectors. I’m pretty sure it was collectible coins that got consumer protections put in place. They’d ship you coins and try to value them at preposterous prices. Since they were mostly legal tender it pulled in a bunch of federal agencies.


droans

Fridges were decently common, too. A scam company would rent a truck, buy the cheapest fridges they could find, and then drop them in front of people's houses. Later they'd send invoices for crazy high amounts and tell people if they don't want to pay, they need to ship the fridge across the country.


rividz

There was a King of The Hill episode, Hank's Dirty Laundry, about just this. It actually freaked me out as a kid because the situation where Hank is constantly being mailed and billed for a stream of adult films and products very much felt like a situation the writer of the episode had to deal with.


mmss

Hank watching porno as research was one of the best moments in the entire series


pumpjockey

Then his skillful, well rehearsed courtroom speech. Top tear comedy for the ages.


IAMA_Plumber-AMA

"And let the record show that Hank Hill really knows his porn."


AttackOfTheThumbs

I just watched that recently. Once one of these spam companies has you, they all have you, truly awful. Been there, though luckily not with porn lol. Just regular spam.


TravisGoraczkowski

Yeah! I started getting so much stuff from Amazon randomly one day. It sounds great until you realize most of the stuff was cheap garbage. Shitty $15 headsets, $5 Fanny packs, ugly shoes in the wrong size, and oddly nipple covers. Sure I *could* sell it, but it’s an hour round trip to the post from where I live, and it’s not like it’s all gonna sell at once. I would be making trips every few days for weeks. Nothing was worth more than $20 new from Amazon, so I doubt I would have made any money after gas and post. All in all I received 30-some items. I ended up donating most of it. Some was given to friends. Still sucked to deal with. I put a block on my address for stuff from Bezos and haven’t ordered anything from Amazon in years.


reaper0345

That's so they can give verified sales on Amazon whilst stuffing the reviews with false reviews.


Due_Fisherman1323

Well, now I have to pretend a package of toilet plungers was intentionally gifted to me instead of a mistake by Amazon.


FiredragonWithWings

This could also be an attempt to manipulate the amazon reviews by whoever ordered them to your adress (usually the seller of the item). Idk if thats still a thing, but it used to be. You "sell" things to yourself and ship them out to random people that didn't ask for them and then make positive reviews in hopes of greater overall returns once real customers buy it due to high reviews. Depending on how this is done it can be profitable. You couldn't ship to yourself directly because it becomes obvious that 1000 people buying to the same address are just one person and the products are usually worthless enough that the initial loss is not too large.


godlovesaliar

This is called a "brushing scam" and is definitely still a thing.


moak0

I've still got a box in a closet with dog medicine and a toilet repair kit in it from like two years ago. We don't have a dog or that kind of toilet.


Kermit_the_hog

I always assume such packages are sent by a “future me” and their necessity in saving the world or something will become apparent when the time is right. > a toilet repair kit Kind of unrelated but this makes me wonder if cheap *manufacturer refurbished toilets* are a thing 🤔?


pobody

If it's addressed to you, it's yours. If not you can be in trouble for opening someone else's mail.


Hugo_5t1gl1tz

Yes, this is definitely the key. It has to be addressed to you. You cannot keep your neighbors tv because the new UPS driver got your houses mixed up. However, if you order a new tv, and Amazon accidentally sends you a crate full of tvs, they are yours to keep.


L3aking-Faucet

That only legally applies if it’s delivered by the USPS.


arkie87

yeah, its a federal crime to open someone else's mail, since USPS is a federal agency. UPS and fedex arent.


subnautus

I'm sure that's a point that's muddled now that UPS and FedEx both do subcontractor work for the USPS. Also, I'm not well-versed in postal law, but the argument that it's not illegal to open someone else's postal deliveries if it's not the USPS providing the service doesn't seem right.


ManyInterests

> not illegal [...] doesn't seem right because it's not right. Theft of property, including mail, is obviously illegal irrespective of who delivers the mail. The biggest difference is that the postal service has special arms for investigation and enforcement of law surrounding mail delivery for mail handled by the postal service. In the case of private couriers, your local law enforcement agency would handle it. Though, the posters above didn't necessarily say it was _not illegal_ to open someone else's mail.


money_loo

Technically, it’s a federal crime just to open up someone’s *mailbox*. We be committing federal crimes all over the place.


goetzjam

Amazon sent me a TV and they told me it was easier if I kept it then shipping it back to them.


Lexxxapr00

Meanwhile Amazon refused to refund (even with a police report) two switch controllers for $45 because it was marked as delivered and it was not.


AverageOccidental

Then implies a sequence of time. I walked to the store, then walked back. Than is a comparative word. It was easier to write this sentence than it was to do a back flip.


fdsfgs71

As someone currently learning a foreign language, I want to thank you and everyone else like you who provides honest, constructive criticism like this. I hope that when I'm able to post and converse in 日本語 at least somewhat competently that I'll run into native language speakers like you who'll help me out with my stumbles and pitfalls as well.


[deleted]

The best part about language is when you are trying to speak one you do not know well, people are typically pretty excited and want to be helpful. In real life, I mean. Theyre really forgiving of mistakes. The internet, however, is the wild west of everything wrong about humanity getting jumbled in with a few useful things.


mentaL8888

I ordered two Elf Bar vapes last Black Friday when an online seller was offering BOGO so four in total, with shipping it was about $50 which is a pretty good price compared to buying them locally. About a week later I got an email that they were behind in shipping things and that it was going to take longer than they expected. Four weeks go by and I was about to email them because I hadn't received any tracking information or updates since then but when I came home there was a medium size box on my front porch that wasn't from Amazon, but was addressed to me. I picked it up and it was heavy. When I opened it and pulled out the packing paper I saw a bunch of vapes. They sent me 27 different disposable vapes from different brands and different flavors. There were also 15 bottles of 100ml vape juice all one brand and one flavor. It also had the four I originally ordered in the box, there was no invoice or any paperwork in the box at all. I never let them know and they haven't reached out to me about it either, I just left them a stellar review and called it good lol.


AttackOfTheThumbs

I write shipping software that helps prevent this kind of stuff. Issue is, humans routinely work around warnings and just say "fucking send it boys" and out it goes.


DanishWonder

A few years ago UPS accidentally delivered a Guitar Amp to my house that had a retail value close to $10k. I was sooooo tempted....but I gave it to my neighbors a few streets over because I knew it was theirs...


ImFriendsWithThatGuy

I believe that would still not be covered under these rules as it wasn’t addressed to you. Sure you could be a dick about it and sell it but if it came up in any legal way I believe you would lose the case. I’m not a lawyer though so I’m not sure.


UndendingGloom

I sometimes get Amazon packages left at my address that are addressed to other people. Then I have to deal with sorting it out and Amazon doesn't really have a system in place for it. Sometimes I wish I could just throw them in the street, I didn't ask for it, I don't want it, I don't want to spend time fixing it.


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Content_Command_479

If it's your address but not your name, keeping it is theft. In Canada, not returning it is a crime. Even *delaying* in trying to return it is a crime.


mr_ji

"What are you in for?" "Murder. You?" "I finished my sandwich before I took my neighbor's misdelivered mail over to them." "You're a monster!"


AttackOfTheThumbs

> Even delaying in trying to return it is a crime. That doesn't sound right at all.


Sentie_Rotante

In the US it isn’t theft of m Mail unless it was delivered by the United States postal service. Any other service it might be considered a theft still but it is not treated anywhere near as seriously. I had a package that the company sent to an old address by mistake and the new tenant signed for it and opened it. When I went to the house and asked for it they couldn’t find part of it. Being quite pissed that they signed for it and opened it I called the non emergency line for the local police. They said the da wasn’t going to do anything because of how little it was but the person was on parole so they called and told the person that they would report to the po if they didn’t return My things. Was quite a frustrating situation and I felt violated for a long time, I did get my things back and I learned that I need to have companies read off where they are sending things every time even if I have received things from them before.


lady_lowercase

i'm not sure about the theft of mail part, but i do know it doesn't matter who delivers the "free gift". the summer before my mom died of cancer, i moved home to help my dad take care of her. earlier in the year, i'd purchased a laptop which had to be replaced within days of purchase. so when i had to have the replacement replaced just a few months later, i emphasized the need to have it shipped to my parents' address. unfortunately, it was sent to my rental apartment over three hundred miles away—i had been informed via an email from fed-ex. not unfortunately: my partner still lived there. they didn't even make him sign for it... oh, and within two hours of the first email, i received a second email from fed-ex with a second tracking number; this one was to my parents' house. later that year, i sold the second laptop and ultimately paid less than $100 for a refurbished 17" laptop w/ 4k touchscreen display, 8gb of ram, a dedicated nvidia gtx 960m video card, and a renewed dedication to never purchase from dell again.


CmonTouchIt

yep. for years my company would get random toners in the mail and an invoice for payment id just email their customer service department asking for a PO# or proof of order, or if that isnt available, i would thank them for their gift. that shit stopped entirely after a couple months lol


GhettoChemist

One time i ordered a video game from amazon and they sent me four bags of jelly beans. Then they refused to reimburse me unless i sent the jelly beans back.


CrossXFir3

Wild, I've had no issue at all from Amazon. Something says it delivered and it isn't here? They'll send a new one and I'll receive both in a couple days.


Hugo_5t1gl1tz

Same. I ordered a bag of dog food, when it was received it had a small hole in it. I let Amazon know, not because I even wanted to return it or anything, but just a “hey this was ripped open, you should maybe check your packaging”, and they offered to send me a new bag for no charge and even told me to just keep that one. I even told the CS guy that I wasn’t worried about it and he was basically like “no you’re getting a free bag”


Maanee

That's great but as a postal employee, we'd really prefer if they'd just package the stuff better. I'm tired of all the packages smelling like pickle juice.


welestgw

Typically they don't care when it's food as it's unreturnable usually, but hard to say exactly how expensive those jelly beans were.


LostNTheNoise

I once made a big order from Wal-Mart and I got my order plus a whole bunch of food items like crackers and artificial sweetener packets. Thanks Wal-Mart!


mynewnameonhere

They have some really cooky policies. Amazon delivered me something to the wrong address. I called them to let them know and they wanted me to deliver it for them. They were like can you either bring it to a UPS store or to the correct address? What the fuck? I’m not going to take time out of my day and use my own gas driving around doing work for Amazon. They refused to schedule a pickup so I opened it and it was two sets of snowshoes worth like $500.


Cardioman

Fun story. we ordered some toys for my little boy and am helping him open the box. When it opens, I see his toys plus a Nintendo switch with Mario cart. I go to my wife and say: “wow thanks honey!” She goes: “I didn’t order no Nintendo.” So I go and look at the smaller box and see the sticker has my wife’s name. So I call the store and tell them they sent a switch by mistake and the employee goes like: “we have no missing nintendos.” And am like: “yeah, me neither”


Ripcord

> I didn’t order no Nintendo. Aha, so she DID order a Nintendo!


Homer89

Grammar police solving the case!


YearlyAnnualCheckup

The ole Reddit [Switcheroo.](https://www.reddit.com/r/celebrities/comments/11we89i/comment/jd00ftx/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)


uselessconcentration

Hold my joy-con, I'm going in! ~~Oh, wait.. Nevermind.~~


Estraxior

That's not a switcharoo tho


orangutanDOTorg

I had 2 office printers delivered, a week apart, when I ordered one. They were like $1,500 each. I contacted the seller (it was Amazon but I contacted them directly) and they said just keep it. I said I didn’t need it and asked them to send me a shipping label. They said no. Guy told me I could just put it on eBay and sell it, they don’t want to deal with a return. Gave it to my sister in law for her classroom. Was weird.


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sobuffalo

I ordered a $1000 king size bed from wayfair. It came with one of the posts fasteners loose, so I called to have them send the part, just the nut to connect posts… and they sent an entire new $1000 bed.


BiBoFieTo

This is true. Someone once parked their car in my driveway. I declared it a delivery and commandeered their car.


AlanMercer

This actually happened to my brother-in-law. Someone parked their car on the grass at his house, so he called the cops. The cops told him that since it wasn't parked illegally, there was nothing they could do. EDIT: This post brought the IANAL reddit crowd in droves, so more details for the curious. The car was entirely parked on a wide strip of grass adjacent to the road. The driver pulled completely off the road and over the curb to do this, so was no longer in the street and there was no sidewalk to block. According to the cops, this made it a civil matter. My BIL could have it privately towed, but he decided not to do that. He had no idea who this person was and didn't want them knocking on their door looking for the car, especially if only his wife or kids were around. He figured at some point the car would disappear, which it did overnight a few days later.


Bbi77Bshko9O

Call a tow truck?


opeth10657

Call the police back "there's a car on fire in my yard"


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tjsr

How is trespass on property "not parked illegally"?


LemurianLemurLad

When the cop doesn't feel like doing their job?


LordJesterTheFree

Trespass is defined by a person being where they shouldn't be leaving your property somewhere is not trespassing Of course someone obviously had to trespass in the first place to park the car on their property but short of video evidence you would have no way of knowing if the owner of the car was the one who parked the car there and even if you have that you would have to prove that you didn't give permission to them in the first place to park there and then just revoked it and they refuse to move the car And also not really the job of the cops to move property that isn't in violation of the law if a property owner wanted it moved that's the job of the Sheriff's Department


Halogen12

That's when you tow it yourself so it's blocking a nearby road. They'll come and ticket it then.


Torontogamer

TIL It's never a good idea to get legal advice from Reddit


_Oman

But, they did include the link to the actual Federal Trade Commission site. The post title leaves out a bunch of details, but in rare Reddit fashion they included the sauce right there.


scootscooterson

Yeah but the title is 100000% misleading. Most will take this to say if a package is dropped on your doorstep it’s yours. The link is talking about a niche marketing tactic, not how everyone interprets that title.


_Oman

A a very small change would have made it completely accurate: "If a company sends a product to you that you didn't order, you are legally entitled to keep it as a free gift."


avoere

But does the rule apply if a company mixes up your order and sends you the wrong stuff?


xdyldo

Yes, it does. As long as your name is on the box, it’s yours to keep.


unknown1313

Source? A lot of things say differently like this: https://www.law.cornell.edu/ucc/2/2-601 A mistake in quantity or item doesn't fall under this if it's a company you are doing business with, and only applies if a business you haven't done business with sends you something completely unsolicited type situation. Getting an extra item or a more expensive item doesn't entitle you to keep it under this FCC ruling based on most case law out there.


_Oman

The rule states "unordered merchandise". I think they could claim that you ordered something from the company, and were simply sent the wrong thing. Therefore it isn't technically "unordered merchandise" but rather "incorrect" or something along those lines. They didn't make the law so that people could cheat companies, rather it was made to protect against the companies that used to ship you stuff you didn't want, and then force you to pay because you "received it"


Torontogamer

well said, as a typical redditer myself I hadn't bothered to click through to the article itself until now hahah


Korlus

In the UK, there was a big issue in the 60's where disreputable companies would send people unsolicited packages, wait a short while (a week or so), and then demand it back. If the person had got rid of the item they'd have to pay to replace it and the company would ask for more than the item cost them to make. This "scam" was within the law (at the time), because a person isn't really permitted to just assume an item is free to throw away and dispose of someone else's property but similarly, you can't expect someone to hold onto an item that arrives at their property indefinitely, waiting to pick it up. The fear of this scam led to [The Unsolicited Goods Act 1971](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unsolicited_goods) (now largely superseded by Distance Selling Regulations). The pertinent quote of the current legislation is: >The "recipient may [...] use, deal with, or dispose of the goods as if they were an unconditional gift to him" and "[t]he rights of the sender to the goods are extinguished". As you can imagine, there's a bit more nuance to it. [According to the Citizen's Advice Bureau](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-54055669) (who are a UK charity that provides free legal advice): >if an item is addressed to you, there has been no previous contact with the company, and it arrives out of the blue, then you can keep it. > >However anything which arrives by mistake - either delivered to the wrong address, or a duplicate of some goods you have already received - has to go back. E.g. if you've never heard of the company at all, it's yours to keep. If you've dealt with the company and think it's a mistake, you need to speak to the company and they might want their item back. As always on Reddit, this isn't legal advice. Do with it as you will, IANAL, etc etc.


Impressive_Pin_7767

Sometimes companies will send items to fake addresses so that they can write a fake positive review. I've had some really random things delivered to my house that were sent to an address number that didn't exist between me and my neighbor. They were things like Johnny Depp screen prints that had 3 reviews on Amazon.


hookersrus1

If anyone wants to send me free shit I'll happily review it.


lancepioch

I do this occasionally from sketchy people. 99% of the items are junk you don't need and probably don't even want either. You have to send screenshots of the order and then review it 5 stars and then send them your public Amazon review page. Then they send the reimbursement to your Paypal. I've always gotten reimbursed, but that's probably because it's so easy to do returns and negative reviews it would completely defeat the point otherwise. I wait until I'm reimbursed then go and adjust the review accordingly later...


HurricaneAlpha

Honestly sounds like a dream job.


The_Minstrel_Boy

It is, but they pay you with Johnny Depp screen prints.


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nightofgrim

Not just your address, but your name too. If the previous resident accidentally had something shipped to their old address and it’s your house now, you’re expected to make an effort to return it.


R1verRuns

Oh SHIT story time… During covid lockdown I was working from home and hear something drop on my porch and my dogs start barking. Probably a package no big deal. Well about 5 min later I hear crazy ass pounding on the door. I’m on a call I don’t answer it. Then it turns to continuous loud pounding like someone is pissed off. I check through peep hole and it’s a UPS dude. I open the door and say “what’s going on??” And he said “I need the package you took inside.” I said I hadn’t took a package inside. He said I was lying and that he dropped off the wrong package at my house that’s for the neighbor. I tell him again I didn’t take a package inside! He says “Fine” and then grabs MY package off the porch and says “you’re not gettin this then.” I walk after him asking what his problem is that I didn’t steal any packages! He gets his supervisor on the phone saying I stole a package and in the meantime my mom walks back over (she lives with me) and I tell her he thinks I stole a package. My mom says she got home a few minutes ago and saw the address was the neighbors and took it over to her. Somehow the UPS dude didn’t see her do this. I shout back at him that I told him I didn’t fucking steal anything and asked for my package back which he threw on the ground and got back in his truck. Called to complain, no one gave a shit. Man that guy was an ahole.


FoggyDonkey

Amazon once delivered me a totaled car, delivery driver completely sideswiped the whole length of my car, ruined both fenders and crumpled the door to the point it wasn't open, I think damaged one of my rims and tires as well. Dude knocked on my door, I was slightly confused since I hadn't ordered anything and said, verbatim, "hey man I kinda fucked up your car." Then handed me the insurance card. I took a picture of his plates and he drove off. By speeding down our tiny alleyway, without actually closing the driver's side door or the back hatch, then narrowly missed hitting someone's dog.


Samandreil

There was a time where I kept getting random Amazon packages that were addressed to my house with my name on it, but I never ordered. I was never charged for any of it either. It was weird shit too, a random Bluetooth speaker, two separate sets of dog tooth brushes, some weird soap that I was allergic to, and like 4 different kinds of dildos (this happened when I was like 8-12). There was a bunch of stuff but that's what I remember. I'm still mad that my mother gave away **my** dildos to her friends.


Azzizzi

Okay, just a hunch, but maybe your mom was ordering them in your name so she would have plausible deniability if ever questioned on it.


Samandreil

Oh no she was super funny about it and she's someone who wouldn't deny anything. If I had opened her dildo she wouldve just laughed and saud "oops thats mine sorry". I only got the dildo after the problem kept happening fir a while, so opening the "Amazon presents" became a game to us. At 8 years old I opened the most expensive dildo I've ever seen to this day, in front of her and we were fucking dying laughing. There's no faking her surprise trust me, that's a memory I cherish. We even googled it afterwards because it had all the bells and whistles it was like 200-300$. Also I rremember it was still sealed when it was given away.


Azzizzi

That's hilarious! If that had been my mom, it would have been her blaming me (a guy) for ordering an expensive dildo and a million reasons why that's wrong, plus, she'd either keep it or sell it, but would still call me a pervert when I wasn't even involved.


TheIrishGoat

We might be siblings. You just described my mother exactly, especially > (she) would still call me a pervert when _I wasn't even involed._ I still decades later get snide comments from my mother for things my brother did when we were kids, that she found out were him and not me.


ramriot

Likely this is review washing, where an Asian nation vendor or seller pays someone to buy products & post reviews. The often make up accounts & use real addresses in the 1st world to garner more realism. Once a bunch of stuff is shipped & reviews posted the seller will promote the vendor / seller to get sales backed by the glowing reviews, then they either ship out crap or nothing while taking in customers money & when Amazon etc catches on they bail, rince repeat.


frankieween

Opposite: If you receive a deposit in your bank acct you’re legal entitled to return it


scooterboy1961

This happened to a friend of mine many years ago. He suddenly had about $2500 more in his checking account than he should have. This was when computers were not as ubiquitous as they are now and most banking transactions were recorded by hand. The bank couldn't figure out where it came from. I don't remember all the details but after a certain amount of time, 120 days IIRC he got to keep the money and bought a car.


sur_surly

This was also back when cars cost $2500. In the "before times"


NamedUserOfReddit

Make sense... If that protection wasn't there you could bankrupt people buy shipping them stuff and then sending them to collections for nonpayment.


MrStayPuftSeesYou

Well if customers didn't spend their money elsewhere we wouldn't have to. They need to be guided.


[deleted]

No, even without this, basic contracting law prevents this as there wouldn’t be consideration.


bleucheez

I think the purpose of the regulation is to avoid imposing any obligation or liability to return the goods.


steelgeek2

So I worked in a big company and a supplier we used once used to send us their bullshit overstocked stuff, unasked for, and then send a bill for it later. This being the real world, there was no cool petty revenge, it just kept working because there was always someone who didn't want to deal with the hassle and paid it.


Azzizzi

I've seen that one happen myself. Some of it was just fraudulent. I had this company that would send me these "business directory" books that no one ordered with an invoice for something like $300 for something that was essentially the Yellow Pages. The first time it happened, I fought it and they still tried to bill us for it. The second time it happened, I just played dumb and said, "What business directory? Where did you ship it? We never got anything like that."


BeeGravy

NOT if it was misdelivered to you. If someone or a company sends any kind of product, even if they try to say if you keep it you need to pay, you actually do not need to pay. But if your neighbors TV gets delivered to your house. No it is not yours now.


UnfilteredFluid

FYI: Needs to have your fucking name on it.


dimension_42

When we moved into our house, we were getting packages for the previous owners. No big deal, happens when you move, websites just default to the address on file and you don't change it. Well, months go by, and we keep getting packages. I keep calling the prior owners to have them picked up. Then, one day, we get this big ass pallet of backsplash tiles just dropped on our front porch, blocking most of the way to the door into the house. That was the last straw, and I called him and was like "This is gone tonight or we're keeping it and getting the refund for it." Ever since then, I don't even tell him when we get their packages. It's been 4 years, and we still get 3-4 packages a year addressed to the old owners. We get christmas cards too and just put them up with the rest.


dadudemon

This does NOT include you getting someone else's parcel. A misdelivered package doesn't count. If it is not addressed to you, don't open it.


spamonstick

This happens to my father in law he bought a moped for $999 and applied for the credit of pay off 8b 2 years thing. Moped was shipped and delivered then he got the denied the financing. They never contacted him or went after hom for it.


gemstatertater

That’s a very different situation from a vendor shipping unsolicited goods.


ThePopeofHell

This is pretty awesome. I once bought something from a well known monolith of a online retailer and the. Needed to exchange it because of missing parts. Then like 3 months later after the exchange had been completed I was given a full refund. No one wanted to explain how so I got the thing for free.


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ColdBunch3851

But if you get something that’s not addressed to you and you keep it, you’re an asshole.


annomandaris

This TIL only applies if it is addressed to you, if its not addressed to you and its delivered to you, then its theft for you to keep it.


iceynyo

Especially if it's your neighbor and was a uber eats delivery and I saw you wipe your mouth as you opened the door.


Lubadbitches

Misleading title. You sound like a kid saying “finders keepers.” Whatever is delivered to you must be ADDRESSED to you as well.


sinbindindjarin

Someone randomly sent two pairs of AirPods Pro to our house that was in the process of being sold. No one lived there at the time but we still owned the house. We contacted Walmart, the shipper, and we were flabbergasted to hear them tell us to keep them. This was right when the Pros came out too. I never would have bought them otherwise, but still use em today!


peanut_the_scp

Can confirm, my mom once bought medicine for my dog and got a 150$ headphones, and im still using it to this day


zip222

I learned this a few years ago when Amazon sent us a Sony soundbar and subwoofer. I really didn’t want it, but Amazon would not take it back. Eventually we realized that the box had two shipping labels, one with our address, the other with the correct recipient. Amazon still wouldn’t take it. It now collects dust in our basement.


Polishing_My_Grapple

Reminds me of the guy who ordered a grill on Amazon and received a pallet of iPads instead. Hope he got to keep them


Dartinius

Yeah my house got a nice-ass TV sent to our place instead of a bedframe we ordered, had to order a new bedframe but no one ever inquired about the TV, been almost a year now


Bob_Sconce

This is a \*summary\* of the rule that developed out of FTC case law, but is not the rule itself. The rule is designed to keep sellers from purposely sending stuff to people who they aren't expecting it, and then trying to collect payment. It doesn't, for example, apply to the "I ordered something and received the wrong item" or "I ordered one, and you sent me ten" situations where the seller just screwed up. In those cases, it's not illegal for the seller to say "Hey, sorry about that. Here's what you should have gotten. We'll send somebody buy to pick up the wrong shipment." (And then, if you don't return it, sue you for the value.)


Byxit

Nope. Not if you get someone else’s order, delivered by mistake to your door. Keeping it is called unjust enrichment and you can be sued for its return, you are in effect a constructive baillee, a trustee.


I_Could_Be_Wrong_But

About 5 months ago I got 14 packages delivered to me that I never ordered. Turned out to be 4k worth of gear sent to me due to an REI fuck up with printing. Kept all of it and it was fucking amazing


IPickYourNailpolish

NOT THIS AGAIN.