She paid $29.95 for the season’s hottest toy. It never came. And it’s happening a lot.

The Better Business Bureau of Central and Eastern Kentucky issued a warning Monday that websites touting popular Christmas toys have scammed many Kentucky parents.

The business watchdog group said a Lexington woman ordered the popular Fingerlings toy on a website called Wowjoys.com. Fingerlings, the “it” toy of the Christmas season, is an interactive toy that can grab hold of fingers but also will react to sounds. The woman said she paid for the toy and got a confirmation number. When no package came, she emailed the site and got an automated reply that her message was undeliverable. The phone number listed on the website was out of service, she told the Better Business Bureau.

The Better Business Bureau said the company behind Wowjoys.com, VogueMark Inc. in Oakland, Calif., has an “F” rating from the BBB because of unanswered complaints. Yet Wowjoys.com falsely advertises that it is Better Business Bureau accredited.

A Clark County woman told the BBB that she lost money after trying to buy a different toy online. The woman ordered a “Magical Flying Fair Flutterbye” doll, another popular interactive toy, from CaseScene.com out of Florida. She paid $29.95 for the toy in November but hasn’t received it. Her attempts to reach the company have been unsuccessful. CaseScene.com also has an “F” rating with the BBB.

Other consumers have complained that toys from both websites were counterfeit. The shipments appear to come from China despite having local addresses on the websites, the bureau said in a news release.

The Better Business Bureau offers the following tips for anyone shopping online:

▪  Check out the seller at BBB.org. It’s the best way to determine whether it’s a reputable retailers or an authorized seller.

▪  If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. An extra-low price for an in-demand item should be a red flag. Low prices are often a sign of counterfeit products.

▪  Don’t give out your name or credit card number to an unfamiliar company. Call the customer-service number first to make sure someone answers. If there is no phone number listed on the website, shop elsewhere.

To report a scam to the BBB, go to BBB.org/scamtracker.

This story was originally published December 11, 2017 at 7:18 PM with the headline "She paid $29.95 for the season’s hottest toy. It never came. And it’s happening a lot.."