College Student Finds Live Venomous Scorpion Inside Her Shein Package: 'I Thought It Was a Toy'

Mar. 15, 2025

A Chinese scorpion like the one found in a Shein package in the United Kingdom.Photo:Getty

Getty

A college student says she had an unwelcome surprise waiting for her inside a package she ordered from Shein: a scorpion.Sofia Alonso-Mossinger, an 18-year-old student at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, recently opened the package to find the eight-legged creature lurking inside, according tothe BBC.“I thought it was a toy — and then it moved,” she told the outlet.Once she realized what was really going on, she said her roommates helped her get the scorpion into a Tupperware container. Then they called for help.According to the National Centre for Reptile Welfare (NCRW), who answered the call, the arachnid Alonso-Mossinger found is known asOlivierus martensii, otherwise known as a Chinese scorpion, the BBC reported.NCRW’s Chris Newman told the outlet that a sting could be “potentially life threatening,” though it would likely only cause the average adult to have “a really bad day.”Shein did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment, but told the BBC in a statement that “after receiving the feedback, we immediately conducted an internal investigation.““Our teams on the ground have checked the shipment packing process and carried out an inspection of the goods in our warehouse and have confirmed that all standard operating processes have been adhered to,” the company added.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Although everything worked out, Alonso-Mossinger told the BBC that what happened was very outside her comfort zone.“I feel like I am all right with spiders and things,” she said, but she added that “it was scary being in my room with a random scorpion.”

A college student says she had an unwelcome surprise waiting for her inside a package she ordered from Shein: a scorpion.

Sofia Alonso-Mossinger, an 18-year-old student at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, recently opened the package to find the eight-legged creature lurking inside, according tothe BBC.

“I thought it was a toy — and then it moved,” she told the outlet.

Once she realized what was really going on, she said her roommates helped her get the scorpion into a Tupperware container. Then they called for help.

According to the National Centre for Reptile Welfare (NCRW), who answered the call, the arachnid Alonso-Mossinger found is known asOlivierus martensii, otherwise known as a Chinese scorpion, the BBC reported.

NCRW’s Chris Newman told the outlet that a sting could be “potentially life threatening,” though it would likely only cause the average adult to have “a really bad day.”

Shein did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment, but told the BBC in a statement that “after receiving the feedback, we immediately conducted an internal investigation.”

“Our teams on the ground have checked the shipment packing process and carried out an inspection of the goods in our warehouse and have confirmed that all standard operating processes have been adhered to,” the company added.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Although everything worked out, Alonso-Mossinger told the BBC that what happened was very outside her comfort zone.

“I feel like I am all right with spiders and things,” she said, but she added that “it was scary being in my room with a random scorpion.”

source: people.com