Every year, there’s always a few must-have toys on most kids’ holiday wish lists. The toys sell out fast and become expensive and hard to find. On top of that, the microchip shortage has parents worried about getting their deliveries on time.
This year’s hot picks, according to Amazon, include Galactic Snackin’ Grogu Animatronic (aka Baby Yoda), game consoles (such as Nintendo Switch and PlayStation) LEGOs and L.O.L. Surprise dolls.
Scammers are using the toys’ popularity to trick parents out of their money.
How the scam works
You are looking for these toys, but they are sold out at every store you visit. You decide to look online. A quick search takes you to a page that miraculously has the toy in stock. The site may look professional and have original images of the product. It may even offer the product at discounted prices, claiming a “last-minute deal” or “flash sale.”
Unfortunately, many such offers are fake. In many cases reported to BBB Scam Tracker, buyers thought they were ordering a high-quality, animatronic toy. Instead, they received a cheap counterfeit version. In other cases, the products never shipped at all, and the websites vanished. In either case, when the dissatisfied customers tried to follow up with the company, they found that the staff either didn’t respond or refused to provide a refund.
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