Elgin Woman Overwhelmed by Mysterious Amazon Deliveries

Hundreds of unordered packages arrive at senior's home, leaving her feeling unsettled and frustrated

Published on Feb. 28, 2026

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A 79-year-old woman in Elgin, Illinois says she has been receiving over 100 mysterious Amazon packages at her home, despite never having an Amazon account. The packages, containing art supplies, have been arriving since last summer, sometimes as many as 20 per day. The woman, Pat Hurley, and her son have tried to return the packages to Amazon, but the company has told them to keep the items. Hurley says the situation has left her feeling unsafe in her own home.

Why it matters

This case highlights the growing problem of "brushing scams" where third-party sellers send unsolicited items to people in order to create fake positive reviews. While Amazon claims to be investigating, the situation has caused significant distress for the elderly homeowner who feels unsafe and overwhelmed by the constant deliveries.

The details

Pat Hurley, a 79-year-old woman in Elgin, Illinois, says she has been receiving over 100 mysterious Amazon packages at her home since last summer, despite never having an Amazon account. The packages, which contain art supplies, are addressed to her address but with someone else's name. Hurley and her son have tried to return the packages to Amazon, but the company has told them to just keep the items. The constant deliveries, sometimes as many as 20 per day, have become a burden for Hurley, who is disabled and has difficulty moving the heavy packages. Hurley says she feels unsafe and unsettled by the situation, worried that someone may show up at her home.

  • The mysterious Amazon deliveries started arriving at Hurley's home last summer.
  • Hurley and her son first reported the issue to Amazon earlier this year.

The players

Pat Hurley

A 79-year-old woman living in Elgin, Illinois who has been receiving over 100 mysterious Amazon packages at her home despite never having an Amazon account.

Hurley's son

The son of Pat Hurley who has been assisting his mother with the constant Amazon deliveries and trying to resolve the issue with the company.

Amazon

The e-commerce giant that has been delivering the unordered packages to Hurley's home and has told the family to keep the items rather than return them.

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What they’re saying

“If somebody's going to show up, I'm disabled, alone in the house. And all this is happening. I'm getting a little nervous. You know, I mean, you don't know what's going on in this world.”

— Pat Hurley (abc7chicago.com)

“It became every other day we were coming over here with a dolly, just moving off the front porch again, back into the garage.”

— Hurley's son (abc7chicago.com)

What’s next

Amazon has said they are investigating the situation and working towards a long-term resolution to prevent this from happening again. The family believes the case of the mysterious packages will be resolved soon.

The takeaway

This case highlights the growing problem of "brushing scams" where third-party sellers send unsolicited items to people in order to create fake positive reviews. While Amazon claims to be investigating, the situation has caused significant distress for the elderly homeowner who feels unsafe and overwhelmed by the constant deliveries, underscoring the need for stronger consumer protections against these types of scams.