National and state agriculture officials are investigating packets of seeds arriving in people's mailboxes unsolicited from China and urge those who receive one not to open it, throw it away or plant the seeds.
The agriculture commissioners of Arkansas and Texas join other states' officials and the U.S. Department of Agriculture in warning about the mysterious packages, which may arrive falsely labeled as jewelry. None has yet publicly identified the seeds, but
some fear they could be from invasive species.
"The Department has received calls from Arkansans claiming to have received seeds. Currently, we are taking the contact information of callers and consulting with the USDA. We are waiting on further guidance from the USDA for potential testing," an Arkansas Department of Agriculture spokesperson said.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller asked people to take the matter seriously.
"An invasive plant species might not sound threatening, but these small invaders could destroy Texas agriculture. TDA has been working closely with USDA to analyze these unknown seeds so we can protect Texas residents," he said in a statement.
USDA suggested the seeds may be part of a common kind of fraud.
"At this time, we don't have any evidence indicating this is something other than a 'brushing scam' where people receive unsolicited items from a seller who then posts false customer reviews to boost sales," the Department said in a statement.
Officials say anyone who receives one of the packages should not open the bag of seeds inside or throw it away. Instead, they should keep the whole package, including the shipping label, and contact investigators.
Arkansans should contact the USDA State Plant Health Director at 501-324-5258. The Texas SPHD is available at 512-916-5241.