Editing Openai/6915feb3-0df4-800e-9924-e4e10977154d (section)

=== Assistant: Yeah, stuff like this has definitely happened before, and it can be tied to a few known scam patterns — though not alwa… ===
Yeah, stuff like this has definitely happened before, and it can be tied to a few known scam patterns — though not always. Here are the legit possibilities people have reported:

==== 🟣 1. “Brushing” Scam (Most Common Similar Scenario) ====

This is when someone receives random items they never ordered.
Why?
Scammers use the delivery to generate a fake “verified purchase” so they can leave glowing reviews on Amazon/eBay/etc.

BUT: brushing almost always involves sealed, cheap items (toothbrushes, seeds, phone cases).
A random unsealed phone is not typical brushing behavior.

==== 🟣 2. Stolen-Account Phone Fraud ====

This one does involve phones.

Scammers will:
# Use someone’s stolen identity or hacked carrier account to buy a brand-new phone.
# Ship it to the victim’s home so it looks legitimate.
# Track the package.
# Show up pretending to be a delivery driver to retrieve it.

This is called a “pickup scam” or “porch pickup fraud.”
There are verified cases reported by police departments and carriers.

Your situation is weird because the person left the phone instead of trying to get it back — but it could be:
* A failed version of the scam
* Someone mixing up addresses
* The scammer being spooked
* Or the phone being a prop device (dead, fake, or gutted)

==== 🟣 3. Identity Theft / Account Testing ====

Sometimes scammers test:
* Addresses
* People’s responses
* Whether someone will open the door
* Whether you keep or throw out high-value items

Dropping off a phone can be used as a “behavior probe.”

There are documented cases where scammers use physical drop-offs to test whether an address is “safe” for future fraud deliveries.

==== 🟣 4. “Burner Phone” Drop-Off ====

A less common but real scenario:

Criminals drop a cheap or repurposed phone at a random address, then:
* Come back later to retrieve it, or
* Use it for a short-term activity (tracking, messaging, etc.)

This tends to show up more in rural or apartment areas, but it does get reported occasionally.

==== 🟣 5. Honest Delivery Mix-Up ====

Yes, this also happens.
But an unsealed box + someone just saying “DELIVERY” + not wearing a uniform = sketchy and not a normal USPS/UPS/Amazon mistake.

==== 🟣 So… is this a known scam? ====

Yes — there ''are'' scams that involve:
* Random phones being delivered
* Fraudsters pretending to be delivery workers
* Unsealed boxes
* Packages sent to people who didn’t order them

But your specific mix of details is unusual.
Most similar scams involve the scammer trying to take the package back — not leave it.

==== 🟣 Verdict: ====

The behavior matches patterns of known delivery scams, just not perfectly.
It’s absolutely not normal delivery behavior, and you weren’t overreacting by tossing it — that was arguably the safest move.

If you want, I can break down:
* What the safest next steps are
* Whether you should report it
* Whether it suggests identity theft
* How to check if your carrier/credit/accounts were used

Just lmk.