China has offered its help to the U.S. to investigate the unsolicited seed packets sent to Americans through the mail.
China’s foreign ministry says their postal service has contacted the U.S. postal service asking it to return the seeds to China, calling the packets “faked mail.” It also says information labels on the packages appeared to be forged.
The USDA and agriculture departments in more than two dozen states are warning recipients not to plant the seeds which could be invasive, noxious species of plants that could compromise crops and the environment.
The USDA says it will test the seeds - some in packages marked ‘jewelry’ - but also says they might be part of a “brushing scam” out of China to obtain fake reviews for products.