Let’s say that you come home from work one day to find that a mystery box had been delivered to your doorstep. Your name is on it, but you never ordered anything from the company who shipped it to you. A few days later, the other shoe drops. Out of nowhere, you receive a bill from the company for hundreds of dollars, and they are demanding an immediate payment.
Welcome to the world of bait-and-bill schemes: a shady tactic that continues to trip up unsuspecting consumers and businesses alike.
At the center of one of these schemes is a company called US Standard Products. It has developed quite a reputation for shipping out unsolicited safety equipment and then billing recipients for the merchandise. While the name might sound innocuous, maybe even official, the Better Business Bureau warns that this company is far from standard. In fact, they’ve given it an F-rating after receiving nearly 100 consumer complaints, most detailing the same troubling experience of receiving unrequested items, followed by massive invoices.
One particularly baffling example involves a box of 200 earplugs billed at a whopping $398. Now get this: you can buy the same exact 200-count box of ear plugs online for as little as $23. Comparatively, the scale of the markup becomes outrageous. It would almost be funny if it weren’t such a common and legally murky trap.
Here are some recent examples of the many unaddressed BBB complaints:
The Legal Loophole That Isn’t a Loophole at All
Want to know what happens when you receive merchandise you never agreed to buy? According to the Federal Trade Commission, the answer is refreshingly simple: you owe nothing. Unsolicited merchandise is legally considered a free gift, and consumers are under no obligation to return it, pay for it, or even notify the sender. That means the box of overpriced earplugs sitting in your office closet can stay right where it is (or donated to a good cause, or just thrown in the trash).
This rule applies to individuals and businesses alike. The key is whether the item was truly unsolicited. If you didn’t specifically agree to buy it, you don’t have to pay. No amount of friendly follow-up calls or assertive invoices changes that fact.
Why This Tactic Still Works
Despite the law being firmly on the side of the consumer, bait-and-bill schemes persist. That’s because they rely not on legal grounding, but on confusion and intimidation. A business owner might assume a new employee accidentally placed an order. A consumer might think it’s tied to some fine print they overlooked. Either way, these shady companies count on people choosing to pay rather than go through the hassle of investigating.
The invoices often look official, the products are sometimes legitimate (albeit wildly overpriced), and the pressure to resolve the matter quickly can be convincing. It's a psychological trick dressed in packaging tape and bubble wrap.
What You Should Do if It Happens to You
If you receive a package you didn’t request and a bill demanding payment, don’t even think about paying it. First, start documenting everything. Take photos of the items, the invoice, and the packaging materials. Then, file a complaint with the Georgia Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division. State agencies use these reports to investigate patterns of abuse and protect other residents from falling into the same trap.
Next, report the incident to the FTC. The more complaints they receive, the stronger their case becomes when taking enforcement action against repeat offenders.
And don’t hesitate to notify the Better Business Bureau. While they aren’t a government agency, they maintain a widely referenced complaint record that helps warn others about unethical business behavior.
Finally, inform your family members or employees about the scam. Many of these schemes target businesses, but households aren’t immune. Awareness is the best first line of defense.
Know the Law, Keep Your Money
Bait-and-bill tactics may sound like something from an old con artist playbook, but they’re still alive and well today. They flourish in the gray space between confusion and trust. The good news is that consumers in Georgia and across the country have clear legal protections. You are not obligated to pay for something you never ordered. Period.
Whether you're running a small contracting firm in Atlanta or simply checking your front porch for deliveries, keep this in mind: if a surprise package shows up with a surprise price tag, treat it like junk mail with a packing slip. The real scam isn’t in the box, it’s in the bill that follows.