Most of us love the convenience of shopping online and getting our packages delivered right to our front door.
That’s not the case for one local woman and her family. They’ve been getting unexpected boxes and bags marked as “returns” from a TikTok retail shop.
Melanie Van Auken began receiving the packages, which were marked as returns for Wildora Clothing, on Oct. 4. The deliveries originated from customers in several states, including Maryland, Tennessee and South Carolina, despite Van Auken having no connection to the retail company.
Van Auken initially believed the first delivery was a one-time misprint or mistake by the retailer, but the bags continued to arrive over several weeks. Van Auken counted more than 24 separate packages delivered to her rural property.
The return labels on the packages listed the name of Van Auken’s mother-in-law, Michelle Van Auken, but used Van Auken’s home address. The items inside appeared to be clothing with tags matching items sold on the TikTok Shop by a vendor called Wildora Clothing.
Van Auken described the mounting stress of the frequent deliveries.
“I saw him pull up today, and I saw him get in the packages and put them in his hand, and I knew it,” she said. “I knew it. I knew what it was.”
She eventually posted a sign on her front door for UPS and U.S. Postal Service drivers stating that the residence was not Wildora Clothing and asking them to stop the deliveries.
Van Auken messaged the company repeatedly through the TikTok app to report the error. She received responses that included an apology and an offer to keep the unsolicited clothing, but the deliveries did not cease. Auken subsequently filed reports with her local police department, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Trade Commission.
Eva Velasquez, CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center, said online marketplaces frequently encounter these types of issues.
“There is honestly a lot of fraud on TikTok shop, there’s a lot of fraud on a lot of these online marketplaces, Facebook marketplace would be another example,” Velasquez said.
Velasquez noted that, in this case, it’s difficult to distinguish between a simple printing error and a coordinated scam. She advised consumers in similar situations to mark the items as “refused” or “fraudulent return address” and return them to the carrier to put the original senders on notice.
“She needs to get them out of her custody,” Velasquez said. “It’s fraud. Whatever it is, if it’s a scam, if it’s a mistake. She’s not responsible.”
Industry experts said some e-commerce businesses provide random or incorrect return addresses when setting up their digital storefronts. This practice allows vendors to sell products and collect revenue while remaining difficult for authorities or customers to track when items are sent back. No one has been able to confirm if that’s what happened in this case.
A spokesperson for TikTok Shop said they have taken action against the vendor and removed the shop from the platform. Van Auken said that the package returns have stopped since TikTok was contacted regarding the situation.
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