Page 14 - IAV Digital Magazine #503

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
Virginia, UtahResidentsReport Receiving Unsolicited Packets of Seeds In The Mail Reportedly FromChina
By Peter Aitken | Fox News
Virginia residents have been advised not to plant any unso- licited seeds they may have received in the mail, the state’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VADACS) has advised.
Residents report- ed to the VDACS that they received packets of seeds in the mail with writing on the out- side that appears to be Chinese. The seeds have yet to be identi- fied, but officials speculate that the seeds may be of an invasive plant species and are advising residents not to use them.
"Taking steps to prevent their introduction is the most effective method of reduc- ing both the risk of invasive species infesta- tions and the cost to control and mit- igate those infes- tations," VDACS officials said in a release.
Virginia is not the only state to receive unsolicit- ed seed packets, with FOX 13 Salt Lake City report- ing that residents acro Utah have re ceived similar deliveries.
In some cases, the packages were labeled as containing jewelry or another simi-
larly attractive content.
“I opened them up and they were seeds,” said Lori Culley, a resident from Tooele, Utah. “Obviously they’re not jewel- ry.”
FOX 13 con- firmed that the Utah Department of Agriculture and
Food will likely team up with Customs and Border Protection to investigate.
Jane Rupp, presi- dent of the Better Business Bureau's
(BBB's) Utah chapter, told FOX 13 the incidents could be a scam known as “brush- ing” where some
companies will send you a prod- uct so they can post a fake review in your name.
“That is rather random. I don’t think I’ve heard of seeds before,” Rupp said. “The first thing to do is Google your address and see what’s out there... Numerous things will come up when you Google your address. It’s kind of scary sometimes.”
Anyone who has received this type of package is asked to contact their state Department of Agriculture. Virgin ia residents can send an email to ReportAPest@vd acs.virginia.gov.
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine