MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The shortage of baby formula is creating a desperate situation for families, forcing them to turn to unusual places to find food for their babies.
One Mid-South mom tried to buy formula on Facebook, but scammers were waiting.
“It’s hard, it’s hard. I think I maybe went to like five or six stores; no luck finding a formula,” Alisha Carter said.
It’s a struggle parents like Carter are becoming all too familiar with.
That’s why when another mom on social media claimed to have the formula she needed for her newborn, she was ecstatic.
“She posted in the group she had four containers of formula for sale, and that she was willing to ship,” Carter said.
After sending the woman $100, Carter never heard from her again and the formula she bought to feed her baby never arrived.
“I was constantly waiting on her to send me a tracking number. She never did. I inboxed her the entire day, and never responded back,” Carter said.
As baby formula remains scare, Daniel Irwin with the Better Business Bureau of the Mid-South said they’ve received several reports of scammers taking advantage and selling items that are never delivered.
Many are joining local formula Facebook groups and offering to ship a product that doesn’t exist at a premium cost.
“Any time you are in one of the chat rooms or one of these groups and someone from out of state or not in the Memphis area is trying to sell you something, that is a huge red flag. Remember: you don’t know who this…
