The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office is warning people who live in the county about packages they didn’t order arriving at their doors from outside the United States.

What You Need To Know

  • The sheriff's office says people in Livingston County have received packages they didn't order

  • The packages come from mostly China and Eastern European countries

  • The packages appear to contain jewelry but actually contain seeds

  • The sheriff's office says don’t plant the seeds, don’t burn them, don’t throw them away, and dig up any planted seeds

Deputy John Morgan of the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office said, “they disguised or in the packages that say rings, necklaces, different type of jewelry and it’s actually seeds.”

Since the initial warning earlier this week, deputies have received about a dozen packages from people throughout the county.

The seeds are addressed to the people who are receiving them and they come from mostly China and Eastern European countries.

The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office says there are some concerns about the seeds.

“We are an agriculture community down here as well, is that we don’t know what these seeds are, we don’t know if there’s some type of invasive weed, if they have any noxious plants or diseases in them,” said Deputy Morgan.

The sheriff’s office is telling people don’t plant the seeds, don’t burn them, don’t throw them away, and dig up any planted seeds if they were unsolicited.

Deputy Morgan said, “at this time, there’s no reason to be scared of these packages, it’s the unknown factor that we’re concerned about.”

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service or APHIS said it appeared to be a “brushing scam” where people receive unsolicited items from a seller who then posts false customer reviews to boost sales.

The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office says if you receive an unsolicited package, call 585-243-7100 and a deputy will pick up the seeds.

All seeds collected will be sent to the USDA office in Albany for testing.

The USDA says people can also contact the State’s plant regulatory official or the APHIS State plant health director if you received seeds.