ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) — The Better Business Bureau (BBB) urges southwest Virginia consumers to be cautious when shopping online amid a recent spike in complaints about a fake toy business targeting Facebook users.

The BBB recently issued a scam alert about the fraudulent sales of kids’ toys through www.littletikes.hidiscount.club, also known as littletikes.savealot.store.

According to the bureau, the company has operated under several different names, including Little Tikes Whole Sale Club, Little Tikes Save A Lot Store, Little Tikes Discount Online Store, and Little Tikes Save Money Store. They’ve also used email addresses such as dobetterservice@gmail.com, service@happytime.club, and service@whole-sale.club.

The BBB tells WFXR News that the address on the company’s website is actually an empty lot in Roanoke. In addition, the site is registered in Panama, but all other information is private.

Based on this information, the BBB says it can confirm that www.littletikes.hidiscount.club is a fraudulent website.

The bureau says people from all over the country have fallen victim to the scam, earning the company an “F” rating with the BBB due to the 28 complaints filed since the business started operating in 2019, none of which have been answered.

Examples of the complaints include customers being charged twice for their purchases, as well as customers receiving fake shipment tracking numbers and then not getting refunds when the items never actually arrive.

Julie Wheeler, the president and CEO of BBB Serving Western Virginia, says this fraudulent company uses Facebook ads to promote large discounts on Little Tikes toys, drawing customers to a professional-looking site and then using an online payment system — such as PayPal — so customers just click and buy.

“Know who you are doing busy with,” Wheeler advised. “Don’t click on links that show up on your social media feed. You want to go directly to legitimate sites rather than relying on an ad that pops up on your social.”

If you want to avoid being scammed when shopping online, check out these other tips from the BBB:

  • It’s easy for a fake site to mimic a famous retailer’s site, so make sure you are shopping with a legitimate site. For example, a site without any contact information or a legitimate address is a red flag because it means you will not be able to reach them if you have a problem or need to make a return.
  • Think before you click, especially with email solicitations, online ads on social media sites, and ads that appear when you have been shopping online for a particular item. Many sketchy retailers advertise great deals that don’t measure up to the promotional hype.
  • When shopping online, be sure to take your time and read the fine print before submitting your order.
    • Make sure you understand the return policy.
    • Beware of too-good-to-be-true deals.
  • Shop with a credit card because it provides extra protections in cases of fraudulent transactions, making it easier to dispute charges that you didn’t approve or get your money back if there is a problem.
  • Keep documentation of your order. For example, save a copy of the confirmation page or email confirmation until you receive the item and are satisfied.

According to the BBB, scammers are always creating new and improved lookalike websites — such as fake streaming service activiation prompts, DMV imposters, and fake postal service websites — in order to steal personal information and money.

If you see or become a victim of a scam, you are urged to report it to the BBB so the bureau can stop the scammers, as well as prevent others from becoming victims of the same scam.