Mysterious seeds from China are showing up in Southern California mailboxes

Residents in Southern California are among those receiving mysterious packets of seeds apparently shipped from China, state officials say.

No one knows why the seeds are showing up in mailboxes in 27 states or what they are, CNN reported. The packets arrive unsolicited and have Chinese characters on the packaging.

“Seed packets should not be opened, shipped or disposed of by residents to prevent potential dispersal of invasive species and/or quarantine pests,” said Steve Lyle, spokesperson for the California Department of Agriculture, The Orange County Register reported.

Lyle advised people to turn the seed packets over to their county agricultural commissioner while the agency investigates the bizarre shipments.

“We got weird seeds from China just the other day in Southern California,” reads one Twitter post with a photo of the envelope and a baggie of seeds.

Officials in several other states also have warned people against opening the packets.

“At this point in time, we don’t have enough information to know if this is a hoax, a prank, an internet scam or an act of agricultural bio-terrorism,” said Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles of Kentucky, CBS News reported.

“Unsolicited seeds could be invasive and introduce unknown diseases to local plants, harm livestock or threaten our environment,” Quarles said, according to the network.

Officials in some states have warned the seed shipments may be part of a brushing scam, in which sellers send unsolicited merchandise to customers, then post fake positive reviews in their names on Amazon or other online stores, according to the Better Business Bureau.

This story was originally published July 28, 2020 at 9:58 AM with the headline "Mysterious seeds from China are showing up in Southern California mailboxes."