FTC, bebek maması kıtlığının dolandırıcıları ortaya çıkardığı konusunda uyardı

Scammers are exploiting a nationwide baby formula shortage, tricking consumers into paying hefty prices through fraudulent online stores, the Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday.

The con artists lure “desperate parents and caregivers” via fake websites or social media profiles with images and logos of recognizable formula brands, according to a tüketici uyarısı. Consumers think they’re purchasing from a company’s official website but formula never arrives, the FTC said.

“Scammers exploiting the high demand for baby formula have sunk to new lows,” the agency said.

Kişisel Finans'tan daha fazlası:
Yüksek getirili tahviller artan faiz oranları nedeniyle çekiciliğini kaybedebilir
Better market days are coming. It’s just a question of when
Evinizi satarken bir vergi bombasından nasıl kaçınılır

A shortage of baby formula erken başladı in the Covid-19 pandemic, but has kötüleşti in recent weeks. The scarcity is kısmen nedeniyle to the closure of a Michigan manufacturing plant in February; two infants who consumed formula produced there caught bacterial infections and died.

Gıda ve İlaç Dairesi anlaşmaya varıldı with the plant’s owner, Abbott Nutrition, the nation’s büyük formula manufacturer, on Monday to help ease the shortage.

Beyaz Saray geçen hafta söyledi it would make it easier to import formula from abroad, among other measures.

Here are some ways the FTC recommends avoiding a baby formula scam:

• Use a search engine to check out the company or product. Use search terms like “review,” “complaint” or “scam.”
• Only scammers will demand payment by gift card, money transfer or cryptocurrency. Paying with credit card often provides the most protection; you can sometimes get your money back if you ordered something that never arrived.
• Know your rights. Sellers are supposed to ship an online order within the time stated in their advertisements (or within 30 days if the ads don’t give a time). If a seller can’t ship by then, it must give you a revised shipping date, with the chance to cancel for a full refund or accept the new shipping date.
• Search for local resources. For example, your pediatrician may have formula in stock and might be able to help. Participants in the Kadınlar, Bebekler ve Çocuklar (WIC) nutrition assistance program can contact their local office to find formula.