Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, the supply of baby formula has been running low, making many parents and caregivers panic. Unfortunately, but unsurprisingly, scammers have been exploiting people’s need to feed their babies with various malicious activities.

Baby formula scam texts

Scammers have been promoting fake shops through text messages, luring people to click the attached links:

• Did you ever use baby formula or milk fortifier with one of your babies? If so visit <URL>
• Injury Claim Center: If you used baby formula with any of your children please read this.  <URL>

Baby formula scam sites

In the first half of May 2022 alone, we detected nearly 500 fake online shops claiming to sell baby formula and baby supplies. The items are never delivered, and the money ends up in the scammers’ hands. If you come across any of the online shops listed below, close the tab straight away.

#1 — hapydeals[.]com

#2— healthcentralusa[.]com

Use Trend Micro ScamCheck to stay safe from scam sites

There isn’t an easier way to stay protected against malicious websites than to download Trend Micro ScamCheck to stay safe from scam sites. ScamCheck is an all-in-one browser extension and mobile app for detecting scams, phishing attacks, malware, and dangerous links — and it’s FREE!

Check out this page for more information on ScamCheck.

#3 — toysstory[.]net

#4 — crownkof[.]com

#5 — zurpoe[.]com

How to protect yourself

• Shop only on legitimate online stores — research and read reviews to verify.
• Use a credit card to pay — unusual payment methods like wire transfers or gift cards are a major red flag.
• NEVER click links or attachments from unknown sources — Use Trend Micro ScamCheck to combat scams with ease! (It’s 100% FREE.)
• Report scams via the BBB scam tracker or ic3.gov.
• Here are some things to watch out for when shopping online:
  • Unreasonable requests for detailed personal information.
  • Typos and questionable wordings.
  • Lack of genuine reviews/lots of irrelevant reviews.
  • Too-good-to-be-true deals.

For more tips on spotting fake online shops, please check out this article.

As ever, if you’ve found this article an interesting and/or helpful read, please do SHARE with friends and family to help keep the online community secure and protected.