Page 16 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2022 BBB Scam Alert: Looking for this season’s hot toy? Beware of scams! E very year, there are always a few “must-have” toys on most kids’ holiday wish lists. The hot toy sells out fast and becomes expensive and hard to fi nd. On top of that, parents worry about getting their deliveries on time. In 2022, according to Amazon (a Better Business Bureau [BBB] Accredited Business), these toys include Magic Mixies Magical Misting Crystal Ball, Snap Circuits, Breyer Horses Unicorn Magic Wooden Stable Playset, National Geographic Break Open 10 Geodes and everyone’s favorite, Squishmallows. 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, so you decide to shop online. A quick search takes you to a page that miraculously has the toy in stock. The site might look professional and have original images of the product. It might even off er the product at discounted prices, claiming a “last-minute deal” or “fl ash sale.” Unfortunately, many such offers are fake. In many cases reported to BBB.org/ScamTracker, buyers thought they were ordering a high-quality 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 dissatisfi ed customers tried to follow up with the company, they found that the staff either didn’t respond or refused to provide a refund. For example, one shopper told BBB Scam Tracker that they fell for a phony deal on a popular plush toy: “This company off ered hard-to-fi nd Squishmallows. I purchased one for $40. The website claims there is a 30-day hassle-free policy. I fi - nally received the product and it is counterfeit. There are no tags on it and it is of very poor quality. I have tried to use the email provided to request a return label and it is not a real email. They also have a chat available on the website, but gee, guess what? No one is on the chat! I will be disputing the purchase on my credit card.” Another shopper found what seemed like a great deal on a Magic Mixies Cauldron, but the product never shipped. “I tried to reach out by email, website contact form and phone with no response. The phone goes to a Gmail mailbox,” the consumer told BBB Scam Tracker. “I was able to resolve it via a PayPal dispute, however, the company falsely had a Priority Mail tracking.” VOTES | SEE Page 16 Candidates without an opponent: Governor’s Tips to avoid toy scams • Only buy toys from reputable stores and websites. The best way to avoid getting scammed when purchasing toys is to buy them directly from a seller you know and trust. • Don’t be fooled by extra-low prices. Unreasonably low prices are a red fl ag for a scam on many products. Avoid making a purchase from a retailer you aren’t familiar with just because the price sounds too good to be true – it probably is! • Research before you buy. If a company seems legitimate but you aren’t familiar with it, be extra careful with your personal information. Before off ering up your name, address and credit card information, make sure the company has a working customer service number. For more info See BBB.org/onlineshopping for more online shopping tips. For more about avoiding scams this holiday season, check out BBB.org/Holiday. If you’ve spotted a scam (whether or not you’ve lost money), report it to BBB Scam Tracker. Your report can help others avoid falling victim. If you see a questionable ad, report it to https://www.bbb.org/all/bbbi/ adtruth so BBB can investigate. Councillor Terrence Kennedy, 7,348 votes; District Attorney Kevin Hayden, 7132 votes; Suff olk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins, 7,183 votes; and Representatives of the 16th Suff olk District Jessica Ann Giannino, 4,453 votes; and 19th Suff olk District, Jeff rey Rosario Turco won with 3,248 votes. State Senator Lydia Edwards, also unopposed, tallied 7,231 votes. Massachusetts had four questions posed on this year’s midterm ballot. Question 1, known as the Fair Share Amendment, proposed an additional 4% state income tax on any additional income an individual makes over $1 million. According to the unoffi cial results, 48% of Revere citizens voted yes to adding the additional tax, 5,424 votes. Question 2 asked voters to consider the current lack of regulation of dental insurance. A yes vote for Question 2 meant voting in favor of stricter regulation. Sixty-three percent of Revere citizens voted yes on this question, 7,024. Question 3 addressed a long-standing issue for the state of Massachusetts: the regulation of liquor licenses and the sale of alcoholic beverages. A yes vote for this question would reduce the maximum number of liquor licenses that a retailer could own. The unoffi cial results show a current 58% of Revere residents are not in favor of this proposed law, with 6,508 votes against. Lastly, Question 4 asked voters if they want to uphold the new state law which allows driver’s licenses to be granted to any resident, regardless of legal status. Currently, 48% of Revere residents have voted yes to upholding this law by a slim margin of 5,358 to 5,291 votes. Mail-ins and other forms of ballots remain to be counted but the unoffi cial results provide a clear indication of how the city of Revere voted in the 2022 midterm election.
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