Watchdogs have warned people in Norfolk to watch out for the Amazon 'brushing' scam.

Norfolk County Council's Trading Standards department said it involves people receiving packages from Amazon, which they had not ordered.

The victims are not charged for the items. It is done by scammers who want to make the purchase look genuine and avoid violating Amazon’s terms for reviewing their own products.

Instead they set up multiple fake accounts to buy their own products and then give themselves glowing reviews.

The more reviews a product has, the more likely people are to buy the goods as they trust that it will suit their needs.

This means that it is more profitable for these companies to give away their products at the start, as they will turn a profit thanks to their fake reviews.

But a spokesman for Norfolk Trading Standards said: "Being involved in a brushing scam means that someone has gained access to your name, mailing address, and potentially other information.

"Depending on how they accessed your information, they could be privy to a lot more of your personally identifiable information than you realise."

They said people who get packages they did not order should contact the retailer and change online account passwords.

Scams can be reported by calling the national Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.