What does a purple hair tie in mail mean? Worrying Facebook post goes viral 

A Facebook post in which a woman reported that she received a purple hair tie in her mail has now gone viral, sparking concern online. The woman, who goes by Molly Wafering on the social media platform, further said that as she opened the package and touched the purple hair tie, she started feeling weird. She shared the post on June 7, 2023.

In the caption, she wrote:

“Last week, I came home from work and had this package waiting for me at my door addressed to me and my house. I hadn't ordered anything so I was confused but opened it anyway. I opened it up and all that was in there was a little purple hair tie.”

She further mentioned that as she held the hair tie in her hand, she started feeling weird. Soon after this, her mother took the hair tie from her and cleaned her hands, following which they alerted 911. The package was reportedly from South America but had no sender tracking due to a PO Box.

Molly also mentioned about other worrying incidents that happened after she received purple hair tie in mail. In her Facebook post, she wrote about the night that she visited Lexington to watch her boyfriend playing baseball.

She recounted how she received a notification on her phone as she was walking away from her parked car, informing her that an AirTag had been found near/on her. Ever since, other suspicious activities have also reportedly taken place, including interactions with young girls coming to her house and banging on the door, as well as creepy white vans stopping in front of her house.

Molly also said that her neighbour received a purple hair tie in her mail as well. She added that the police is investigating the situation, but she posted about it to alert everyone.

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A purple hair tie in your mail could indicate "brushing"

Those discussing the incident in the comments section of the Facebook post, speculated that receiving a purple hair tie in the mail might be a sign of human trafficking. However, no confirmation regarding this is available.

Some also said that it could be a sign of a scam called "brushing." However, there is no evidence to support this claim either.

Receiving a small, unexpected item from a strange address could mean that personal information has been compromised. Although it's not directly related to human trafficking, it's still a dangerous situation.

Scammers might have access to the receiver's address, phone number, and other private details, according to the United States Postal Inspection Service or USPIS. In case one receives an unexpected package, like a purple hair tie, in the mail, one should take the following steps, as per USPIS:

• Don't pay for it.
• If it has a return address and is unopened, mark it "RETURN TO SENDER" and USPS will return it for free.
• Throw it away.
• Change account passwords to protect personal information.
• Keep a close eye on credit card statements and credit reports for any suspicious activity.
• If the merchandise seems strange, like food, plants, or random liquids, notify authorities.
• Be cautious before opening any unexpected packages.
• If the unsolicited merchandise arrives from Amazon, eBay, or another third-party seller, report it as fraud on their website. Ask them to remove any fake reviews under your name.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) earlier released a comprehensive guide on brushing scams, highlighting the deceptive nature of these schemes. Notably, the warning shed light on the misconception that these scams may seem harmless, as it is a serious breach of privacy.