Minnesota Parents Need To Watch Out For This Baby Formula Scam

The nationwide shortage of baby formula was caused by a combination of recalls and supply chain issues, but relief might be in sight. The FDA is currently working with companies in other countries to secure and import safe alternatives and Abbot, the largest producer of baby formula in the United States, has announced a plan to reopen its manufacturing plants.

Help can't come soon enough for parents with newborns. People are scrambling to find baby formula for their young children and scammers and price gougers are trying to take advantage of them. Eat This, Not That says people are charging over $200 for a 3-pack of formula on eBay and the Better Business Bureau is now warning people of a new scam that is making the rounds.

Minnesota Moms Need To Watch Out For This Baby Formula Scam

The Better Business Bureau issued a warning on its website for new parents searching for baby formula. Read how the scam works so you know what to look for below.

The BBB explains how the scammers are targeting new parents on social media:

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

What to watch out for:

The BBB says you should be careful if you notice any of the red flags below:

• No indication of a brick-and-mortar address or the address shows on a Google map as a parking lot, residence, or unrelated business than what is listed on the website.
• Misspellings, grammatical errors, or other descriptive language that is inconsistent with the product.
• 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:

If you think you've fallen for this scam you should file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau (BBB.org/scamtracker), the Federal Trade Commission (reportfraud.ftc.gov), and the social media platform the ad appeared on.

The BBB says you should contact Paypal, Venmo, Google, Apple, or your Credit Card company depending on how you paid.

Check out these tips and resources if you're desperately looking for formula here in Minnesota but be careful when dealing with online sellers.