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Elderly woman flooded with 100+ Amazon packages she never ordered

A 79-year-old woman in Illinois received over 100 Amazon packages she never ordered, raising safety concerns. Amazon has apologised and is investigating the mysterious deliveries.

March 03, 2026 / 11:44 IST
Amazon
Snapshot AI
  • A 79-year-old Illinois woman got 100+ unwanted Amazon packages
  • Deliveries blocked her doorway and made her feel unsafe at home
  • Amazon apologized and is investigating the mysterious shipments

In a bizarre case that sounds like the complete opposite of package theft, a 79-year-old woman in Elgin, Illinois, has spent the past year dealing with a flood of deliveries she never ordered.

Pat Hurley says more than 100 Amazon packages have been dropped off at her doorstep over the last several months, even though she doesn’t have an Amazon account. The strange situation began last summer, when the first few boxes arrived at her home. While the address listed on the packages was correct, the name on them was unfamiliar.

At first, it seemed like a simple delivery mix-up. But the packages didn’t stop. Instead, they kept coming in increasing numbers, turning what might have been a one-off mistake into a daily disruption. Hurley told ABC 7 Chicago that on some days, she received as many as 20 packages at once.

What started as a confusion has now become a serious concern for the elderly woman, who lives alone and is disabled. The growing pile of boxes has made it difficult for her to move around safely, sometimes even blocking her doorway. She has had to repeatedly lift and shift the parcels just to manage basic movement inside her home.

Beyond the physical inconvenience, the situation has also left Hurley feeling uneasy. Speaking to the local news outlet, she said the constant, unexplained deliveries have made her nervous, especially given that she lives alone and has no idea who is behind the orders or why her address is being used.

Adding to the mystery, the name listed on the packages has remained consistent, yet no one in the neighborhood seems to recognize it. This has only deepened the confusion, raising questions about whether it is a case of repeated error, a technical glitch, or something more unusual.

Over the weekend, there was some relief. An Amazon delivery driver arrived to collect a number of the unwanted packages that had piled up at her home. The company has reportedly apologised to Hurley and said it is investigating the issue while working on a long-term fix.

However, the core question remains unanswered: why are so many packages being sent to an address where they clearly don’t belong?

For now, Hurley is hoping the deliveries finally stop and that her home can return to normal. Until then, what should be a simple doorstep has turned into a source of stress, confusion, and an ongoing logistical nightmare.

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Ankita Chakravarti
Ankita Chakravarti is a seasoned journalist with nearly a decade of experience in media. She specializes in technology and lifestyle journalism. She has worked with top Indian media houses like India Today, Zee News, The Statesman, and Millennium Post. Her expertise spans tech trends, phone launches, gadget reviews, and entertainment news. Ankita holds a Master's in Journalism and Mass Communication along with a degree in English Literature. She can be reached out at ankita.chakravarti@nw18.com
first published: Mar 3, 2026 11:42 am

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