NY Parents Beware! Baby Formula Shortage Leads to Scams
If worrying about finding formula to feed your baby isn't stressful enough, now parents are having to worry about being scammed too.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is working to increase the supply and help ease the baby formula shortage.
“We recognize that many consumers have been unable to access infant formula and critical medical foods they are accustomed to using and are frustrated by their inability to do so. We are doing everything in our power to ensure there is adequate product available where and when they need it,” said FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D. “Ensuring the availability of safe, sole-source nutrition products like infant formula is of the utmost importance to the FDA."
Baby formula shortages across the country are forcing parents to find other ways to get the much-needed item - and risking potential online scams.
Baby Formula Scams
Don't fall for ads, or social media group posts, claiming baby formula is available. Many parents have contacted the seller via chat or direct message, been sent a photo of the cans of formula, and made a payment through PayPal or Venmo, but then the formula never showed up.
Scam Signs:
- Positive reviews are copied from legitimate sites or created by scammers. Some review websites claim to be independent but are paid for by scammers
- No brick-and-mortar address or the address on Google maps shows a parking lot, residence, or unrelated business
- Misspellings, grammatical errors, or other descriptive languages
- The seller advertises on social media and is communicative until the payment clears, then they are unreachable.
Protect Yourself
- Check a business's rating and accreditation status. If the BBB seal on the company's website is genuine, clicking it will lead to the BBB profile on BBB.org
- Search the company name and "scam"
- Pay with a credit card which often provides more protection against fraud
- Be cautious about emails and social media ads.
If you've been the victim of a scam you can file a complaint at BBB.org or report it at BBB.org/scamtracker.