DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa Department of Agriculture is warning Iowans not to open any unsolicited packages containing seeds sent from China.
It's possible the seeds contain a foreign species or pathogen.
"As of this very minute we are over 150 calls and emails," said Robin Prusiner, a state entomologist and seed control officer with the Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship.
Prusiner tells Local 5 she believes this is a brushing scam.
That is when a scammer takes personal information from your online shopping to create a fake profile, send you low-value items like seeds, and then leave reviews on your behalf.
"Pull those plants out," Prusiner said about anyone who may have already opened the package. "Throw them in the garbage or burn them. Dispose of them in a manner that gets rid of them."
If this is a brushing scam, Prusiner advises that you change your passwords to online accounts.
If you've received the package of seeds from overseas, don't open them, don't plant them and call the Department of Agriculture at 515-281-5321.