How to find out who sent you an Amazon package in a few steps

This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you received an Amazon package that you did not order? Amazon gives its customers an option where they can order a gift or package for others and remain anonymous when sending the gift. But in other cases, you may have received the item through a scam called brushing. In this scam, a third-party seller sends unsolicited packages to Amazon customers to raise their ratings. So, do you know how to find out who sent you an Amazon package? TUKO.co.ke spoke to an Amazon Marketplace expert.

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If you want to know how to find out who sent you an Amazon package, you need to follow a few steps. First, check whether the box has a packing slip inside it. You will see the sender’s name and address if the package has a packing slip. However, if the package does not have a packing slip, contact Amazon customer service and ask the representative to give you the details of the person that sent you the package. Here is a more detailed guide.

How to find out who sent you an Amazon package in a few steps

You can find out who sent an anonymous package from Amazon in different ways. In most cases, it will depend on whether the sender chooses to remain anonymous when checking out. And in other cases, it may be impossible to determine the sender’s personal information. Nevertheless, do the following.

1. Check the return address

First, determine whether the package came with a return address. The return address may belong to the sender, Amazon’ or a drop-shipper. If you recognize an address, it will be easier to tell the person who sent it.

2. Look at the information on the packing slip

Whenever someone uses Amazon to buy you a gift, they can fill out their personal information on the packing slip. The slip lets you know their identity. You will find the packing slip tucked inside the package you received.

The packing slip will contain information about the products shipped to you, including the item number, product description, and price. Also, the slip will have the name and address of the sender and recipient. Amazon also uses the packing slip to identify the package if it is lost or damaged while in transit. Therefore, you can use the information to determine who sent you the item.

But Amazon allows the sender to remain anonymous, meaning the sender may not fill in any information in the packing slip. Therefore, you may never know who sent you the package.

3. Use the tracking information to find the sender

Amazon allows customers to track their shipments. The tracking information helps you determine the current location of your package or whether it has reached its destination. Thus, you can use the tracking information to reverse-track Amazon package and find the sender’s details even after the parcel has arrived.

The tracking information has several details, including where the package was throughout the shipping process. In other words, you will see the city, state, or country the box was in once it reached the sorting hub.

If you can identify one of the locations, it will be easier to know who sent you the package. Unfortunately, although the method can be effective, it may never give you the sender's name.

4. Check if the package was sent as a gift

If you receive an Amazon gift with an unknown sender, it may be easier to know the sender’s name. But if the person did not send it as a gift, you will never know their name. Here is what to do:

- Log in to your Amazon account.

- Go to Your Orders page.

- Look through your orders.

- Locate the package you received from the unknown sender.

- Click on the order to view its details.

- Scroll down until you find the Gift Options section.

At this point, you should see the sender’s name along with additional messages they included. However, if you do not see the Gift Options section, the person did not send the package as a gift. Therefore, you will not know the sender’s name.

5. Call your family and friends

Sometimes, the easiest way to find information about an unknown Amazon package is to contact your family and friends. One of them may have sent the package to your doorstep but chose to mark it as a gift and remain anonymous for the time being.

6. Find out if you're a victim of a brushing scam

You may receive an anonymous Amazon package at your address as a common scam called brushing. In this scam, a third-party vendor sends you an unsolicited parcel to boost their product ratings on Amazon.

The seller pays a third party to send a package filled with cheap and low-quality items. Then, the third party creates fake customer accounts on Amazon and posts positive reviews. As a result, it creates an illusion that the product is popular and in demand. If this happens, report the package to Amazon by providing the following:

- The list of order ID(s).

- The number of unwanted packages received.

- Photo of the shipping label (optional).

- Additional information to help Amazon investigate the scam.

If you like the item, you do not need to return it even after reporting it to Amazon.

7. Contact Amazon Customer support

Another way to find out who sent you an anonymous Amazon package is to contact Amazon customer support services. Amazon may give you the information you need, including the sender. But you should also be aware that Amazon has a strict privacy policy. Therefore, the company may not provide the information you need to protect the sender’s privacy.

However, people have used different strategies. For example, tell Amazon you think the package is fraudulent and you want to send the information to the police.

Interview with an Amazon Marketplace expert

In an exclusive interview with TUKO.co.ke, Joan Kuria, a seasoned e-commerce specialist and Amazon Marketplace expert, discussed how to tell genuine anonymous gifts on Amazon apart from those that warrant closer scrutiny, as well as the appropriate course of action when receiving a package from an unknown sender. Read the full interview below.

Q: As an e-commerce specialist who has worked extensively with Amazon and other online marketplaces, you will have noticed an increase in scams disguised as legitimate deliveries. Based on your experience, what signs should ordinary consumers look out for to distinguish genuine anonymous gifts from those that warrant closer scrutiny?

The major red flag, in my opinion, isn't the item itself, but rather the discrepancy between what arrived and anything you can track down. A real gift typically leaves a trace, such as a gift receipt or note buried inside, or the sender's name showing up in your Amazon order history if it was sent to you as a gift. I start paying attention when none of stuff is present and you actually placed no orders.

The scam I warn people about most is the “brushing scam.” They tend to be low-value, light items, sent to real names and addresses that the vendors have scraped from data leaks. The giveaway is that there is no personal note, no indication of who sent it, and often the item is oddly random.

Be cautious if a package seems to have been selected by an algorithm rather than someone who knows you. While brushing packages never leave a personal imprint, genuine gifts nearly always do. Additionally, I would flag anything that has a QR code or a message asking you to "scan to claim a prize" or "verify your delivery." Gifts that are genuine don't require you to do anything.

Q: Most of the time, people either assume that an unexpected package is a mistake or a scam or are tempted to keep it without asking questions. Drawing on your experience of Amazon's marketplace, what is the most appropriate course of action when receiving a package from an unknown sender? Could any mistakes create legal or account-related complications later on?

The good news: unsolicited items are yours for the keeping and according to the FTC in the United States, you don't have to pay for or return items that were not initially ordered by you. So don't worry if you do; it should not mean that you've done something wrong.

With that being said, the error that I see people make is not to have the item but to not take into account what the package may say. If you've been sent something that you didn't order, you're probably in a data set somewhere and most likely your name, address and maybe even your Amazon account information could be floating somewhere.

The right thing to do is to first check your own Amazon account. Review recent orders, scan your payment history for any unexpected activity and confirm that no purchases were made without your consent.

The real hazards are not legal but rather account-related. Fraudulent reviews could be placed in your name if a brushing scam is connected to a hacked account, or worse, you might not be aware that someone has access. Therefore, avoid scanning unfamiliar QR codes, clicking on links from notes inside the box, and providing personal information to "confirm" anything. These are the things that transform a harmless mystery package into a real issue.

Q: Based on your experience of working with Amazon's marketplace ecosystem, what are the quickest and most reliable ways in which someone can identify the sender of an unexpected Amazon package while ensuring that no one's privacy is compromised?

Go inside the box first. The quickest reliable source is Amazon packing slips and gift notes. Usually, a gift order will identify the sender or at the very least indicate that it was sent as a present.

Next, go to "Your Orders" on Amazon.com to view your order history. You can access the order details if the item is there, and a real present will typically show the buyer or a gift note. Since you're only accessing data that Amazon has already linked to your account, this is the most dependable method and it respects everyone's privacy.

The order number on the packing slip is your key if nothing shows up in your orders. Use that number to speak with Amazon Customer Service directly. Amazon can verify whether it was a gift and, in accordance with their privacy policies, send a note or provide clarification. Crucially, Amazon won't just give out a stranger's personal information, and that's OK.

Instead of attempting to identify the sender of an anonymous gift from a friend, it is polite to let Amazon serve as the middleman. Any third-party "package lookup" service that promises to identify senders is something I would advise folks to avoid. Using such, which are frequently data-harvesting operations, jeopardises the same privacy you are attempting to safeguard.

Q: As technology advances, we have seen scams become more sophisticated, with fraudsters exploiting online marketplaces. What simple habits would you recommend consumers adopt to protect themselves from such scams and ensure they can shop safely?

A few routines can make a big difference. Use strong, one-of-a-kind passwords and enable two-factor authentication for your Amazon account to start protecting your data from the source. This one step stops a significant portion of brushing and marketplace frauds, which start with credentials that are leaked or reused.

Second, periodically check your account's payment options, order history, and saved addresses. Uncovering fraud later is much more difficult than identifying an unknown entry early.

Third, approach unsolicited communication with a fair dose of scepticism. You won't ever be asked to validate your account by Amazon via an email, text message, or parcel slip. When in doubt, avoid clicking anything by going straight to the website or app.

Lastly, rather than dismissing a mystery package, report it to Amazon. By reporting, they are able to close the seller accounts that underlie brushing operations, protecting the larger community. Protecting yourself and preventing these scams from operating covertly are two aspects of safe buying.

Can you send a parcel anonymously on Amazon?

You can use the Gift Options section to send a parcel anonymously on Amazon. Here is what you should do.

- Purchase the item on Amazon.

- During checkout, select the Gift Options tab.

- Go to the Gift Receipt section.

- Check the box for the Gift Receipt.

- Enter the recipient’s address.

- Click on Continue.

- Review your order.

- Place your order.

When you check the box for Gift Receipt, the package recipient will not receive your information as the sender. In other words, they will not know your name or address.

So, you want to know how to find out who sent you an Amazon package. Generally, it may not be easy to find a sender’s information if they remain anonymous. However, the tips in this article will go a long way.

Tuko.co.ke shared an article about how to Posta tracking. For many years, Posta has remained one of the most reliable logistics corporations in the country. The company is widely recognized for picking up packages from one location and dropping them off at another.

With technological advancement in the 21st century, things have been made more accessible for individuals and companies embracing this growth. Posta, for instance, has embraced it and offered package tracking to ease the delivery of services to its clients.

Source: TUKO.co.ke

Emmanuel Tamaro (Lifestyle writer) Emmanuel Tamaro is an editor with over 8 years of experience working in digital media for Tuko.co.ke, Yen.com.gh, and iWriter. He is an alumnus of the Faculty of Media and Communications at Multimedia University (2019). Tamaro mostly focuses on the entertainment and technology niches. He won the Best Writer award in 2022 (Tuko.co.ke). In 2023, Tamaro finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques.

Clinton Nyabuto (Lifestyle journalist) Clinton Nyabuto is an accredited journalist working with TUKO.co.ke. He has eight years of professional experience in digital journalism. Clinton was awarded TUKO's SEO Journalist of the Year in 2025. He has previously worked with the Standard Media Group, Scooper News Kenya and Nairobileo.co.ke in editorial and content roles. For inquiries, contact: clinton.nyabuto@tuko.co.ke.

Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.