Why brown paper bag with the name 'Spike' on it had Melbourne man worried
Authorities in Melbourne are warning residents to be vigilant as a bizarre new scam appears to be sweeping the city.
Unsuspecting recipients are getting brown paper bags with a toasted sandwich delivered to their homes, leaving many, like Nick Simpson, concerned at what it means.
He told Today he, his fiancee and a friend were home on Sunday night, when the doorbell rang.
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Grilled cheese sandwich Getty Images/iStockphoto
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"I thought maybe they'd ordered some ice cream or something, but I went out and there was a delivery with the name "Spike" written on it," he said.
Nick ignored it and left the bag on his step - but the next morning when he left for the gym - the bag was sitting at his front gate.
So I turned it away and didn't think much of it until the next morning when I came back from the gym and noticed the bag was sitting at the front of our gate.
Nick and his fiancee have ramped up security around their home, but he is concerned these toastie deliveries could be a form of the worrying "sweeping" trend some parts of Australia are seeing.
Sweeping involves a random item or package delivered to your door, which you didn't order.
It could be masked as an Amazon delivery, but once opened it's just a bag of wrinkled old clothes inside.
Authorities believe this is criminals scoping out whether anyone is home and if not, seizing the opportunity to break in.
Nick ignored it and left the bag on his step - but the next morning when he left for the gym - the bag was sitting at his front gate. Today
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"It is an area of concern," Victoria Police detective, Charlie Bezzina told Today.
"If there's a suspicious car or person in the vicinity, get a photograph and send that to the police.
"They're probably working out how to find out if anyone's home? It's a legitimate cover because with Uber deliveries, if they see someone walking into a house with a paper bag of sorts, they're going to take less notice of that person, so ultimately it just might be one of those ploys that I don't think will have much life left in it."
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