The Better Business Bureau doesn't want parents desperate to find baby formula falling for online scams.
The Better Business Bureau warned parents this week to beware of online scams in their search for baby formula.
According to the BBB, such scams start with an ad, post or social media group post that say they have baby formula. The buyer will use chat or direct messages to contact the seller, who will show photos of the available cans. But once the buyer sends a payment through a peer-to-peer platform, such as PayPal or Venmo, the formula never arrives. In other scenarios, a different product than promised is shipped to the buyer.
People in search of formula online should beware of positive reviews be suspicious of a lack of brick-and-mortar addresses, or ones that show a parking lot, home, or unrelated business on a Google map, the BBB said. Ads and posts with misspellings, grammatical errors, or inconsistent descriptions should also raise a red flag. A seller who becomes unreachable once payment is made is a sure sign of an online scam, according to the BBB.
Consumers should check the BBB's website for a business's rating and accreditation status, rather than trust a BBB seal on a website – imposters have been known to copy it – before making a purchase. An internet search of the company's name plus the word"scam" could turn up other complaints about the site, as well.
Parents who decide to purchase formula online with an unfamiliar site should use a credit card as a protection against fraud, the BBB said.Thanks for reading CBS NEWS.Please enter valid email address to continue
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