NATIONAL—The National Better Business Bureau has issued a warning about baby formula scams: Shortages in the supply of baby formula are leading new Moms to search for other ways of finding this much-needed item – and risking that they may become a victim of online scams.

The BBB already knows that scammers have started creating phony websites to trick consumers into sending their money or credit card information.

How it works:

​An ad, post, or social media group posts they have baby formula available. The new Mom contacts the seller via chat or direct message and even sees photos of the cans available. She makes a payment through a peer-to-peer platform such as PayPal or Venmo, but the formula never arrives.

Signs of a potential online purchase scam include:

• Positive reviews on the website that have been copied from honest sites or created by scammers. Be aware, that some review websites claim to be independent but are funded by scammers. Check our website, org, to see if we have had experience with them.

 

• They give no indication of a brick-and-mortar address, or the address they provide shows on a Google map as a parking lot, residence, or unrelated business than what is listed on the website.

 

• Their website or message to you has misspellings, grammatical errors, or other descriptive languages that are inconsistent with the product. These people may be contacting you from overseas and their knowledge of English is limited.

 

• The seller advertises on a social media site and is communicative until the payment is made. Once the payment clears, they are unreachable.

 

Check out the website before making a purchase:

 

• Visit BBB.org  to check a business’s rating and BBB accreditation status. Impostors have been known to copy the BBB seal. If it is real, clicking on the seal will lead to the company’s BBB profile – so check the domain of the URL.

 

• Conduct an internet search with the company name and the word “scam.” This may locate other people who have already been cheated by the website.

 

• Make a note of the website where the order is placed. Take a screenshot of the item ordered, in case the website disappears, or a different item is received in the mail than what was advertised.

 

• Always use a credit card, not a debit card. Credit cards provide more protection against fraud than other payment methods.

 

• Think before you click. Be especially cautious about email solicitations and online advertising on social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube. If you receive a message from a friend of yours on social media, and she claims she already purchased from this company, beware! Scammers are very good at hijacking the address books of others, possibly including your friend. Before you believe the message, call your friend and ask if they really sent the message.