LOWELL — Superintendent Greg Hudon reports that the Lowell Police Department is warning the community about a new type of scam that has targeted Lowell residents.

The Lowell Police Department has received several reports of a new type of package delivery scam in which residents get a package that they did not order delivered from an unknown sender, often via FedEx, UPS, or another reputable package delivery company.

Upon opening the packages, residents find a note that says residents can find out who sent the package by scanning a QR code that is included in the package.

Police are warning residents to not scan those QR codes if they receive an unsolicited package, because the QR codes can be used by scammers to steal personal information from residents’ phones when the code is scanned.

The new scam is a variety of what is known as a “brushing” scam, in which scammers use unsolicited packages in efforts to steal personal information or even money from the recipients of the packages.

“This is a new type of scam that we have not previously seen here in the City of Lowell,” said Superintendent Hudon. “We want to warn all residents not to scan the QR code if they receive an unsolicited package, and we always encourage residents to contact Lowell Police if they believe they have received a scam attempt.”

To learn more about Brushing scams from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, visit: https://www.uspis.gov/news/scam-article/brushing-scam.