Little Tikes toys have been a favorite of American kids ever since the company was founded in the late 1960s. But if you’re trying to find Little Tikes products, be careful where you order them online. Newly released documents from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reveal the internet is swimming with fake websites that look like real Little Tikes retailers. They’ll take your money, but they won’t ship you anything in return.
Gizmodo submitted a Freedom of Information Act request with the FTC for consumer complaints associated with Little Tikes. We received 308 complaints filed with the FTC over the past five years and have published dozens below. As it turns out, almost everyone complaining about Little Tikes to the FTC was actually getting scammed by unknown con artists who made their websites look like official Little Tikes properties.
One of the sites, which lived at the domain LittleToke.com, is available on the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine and shows just how sophisticated the scam is. The site looks very official and features what appear to be great deals on toys.
Another scam site, hosted at the domain LittleTikes.best and pictured below, had a slightly different design but also looked pretty real to unsuspecting parents. The snapshot below features a Black Friday sale, something that comes up repeatedly in the complaints, which also notes that common enticements included 70% off.
Another site, littletikesonline.com, looked authentic enough but contained small style errors like writing “perperson” as one word. And as you can see in the screenshot below, the context is even more suspicious, since it makes the claim that customers can only purchase $130 worth of goods “perperson” at a time.
How are people arriving at these sites? It appears Google, Instagram, and Facebook ads are driving much of the traffic. And the ads are luring people with incredible-sounding deals.
“I saw the ad on social media and it looked like the legit website of Little Tikes so I got excited for the supposedly ‘70% clearance’ they had,” one complaint obtained by Gizmodo reads, noting that it “seemed very legit.”
“I bought some things for my kids, since I can’t afford them at regular price I thought I’d take advantage,” the complaint continued.
But after this person went back to find the site, they started to grow suspicious and realized they weren’t getting anything delivered and they had been scammed.
In retrospect, some people expressed disappointment in themselves for not identifying the websites as scams earlier. And it’s easy to see why people feel bad about themselves after getting duped. Humans weren’t built to be inundated with the deluge of scams that proliferate online these days.
“I knew the products were too good to be true as I ordered a playground set worth around $300 for $60 and a table with chairs, and umbrella set for $30! I honestly don’t know what I was thinking,” one person from North Carolina wrote.
Other people felt guilty for sharing fake Little Tikes websites with friends on social media, thinking they’d discovered a great deal.
“Now I feel absolutely awful because I texted the link to my friend and she made a purchase and ended up trying to cancel her credit card when I realized the mistake,” someone from Michigan wrote in their complaint to the FTC.
Curiously, a handful of the complaints mention that sometimes people would receive something in the mail, often knock-off sunglasses or a scarf. The theory, which we can’t verify, is that by shipping something rather than nothing the scammers are able to dispute things when a payment processor tries to charge back money. They shipped something, even if they didn’t get the toys that were ordered. Could’ve happened to anyone, right?
To make things even more confusing, Little Tikes didn’t sell toys directly to consumers online from 2018 until very recently. That means many of the complaints from a few years ago include consumers who tried contacting Little Tikes directly and were told they didn’t even sell toys on their website, creating an environment where scammers could put up fraudulent websites to fill that demand by targeting Google searches.
Little Tikes didn’t respond to an email with questions from Gizmodo—the most important of which is where customers should go to reliably and safely buy Little Tikes toys online. We’ll update this post if we hear back.
Gizmodo is publishing 60 of the complaints we’ve received below. The FTC redacted personal information in the complaints, making them impossible to independently verify. But the issues that have arisen are common enough that we believe there’s value in hearing the specifics around these complaints so that others know what to look for when shopping online.
Gizmodo has made very minor edits to the complaints for things like punctuation and spelling just for readability, but we haven’t otherwise edited the complaints in substance.
1) “I was excited to find some great toys for my daughter’s first birthday.”
I was on Facebook and came across a Facebook Ad for a toy clearance sale from Little Tikes, I clicked the link and checked out the website. It looked very legitimate and as someone who frequently purchases online, I thought it was the real website because Little Tikes was a brand that I’ve known my entire life. The website they currently have (https://shop.littletikes.store/) is almost identical to the Little Tikes actual website it is so well done. I was excited to find some great toys for my daughter’s first birthday. I purchased three items for a total of $162.40, I paid with my debit card.
2) “Realized once I got the confirmation email…”
Googled “little tikes playhouse” and this was one of the first results. Clicked on link and was directed to website. Ordered several items and entered contact information including name, email, address, phone number. Also entered credit card information. Realized once I got the confirmation email that the site is totally bogus. I have confirmation emails if needed. Thanks.
3) “My credit card which is American Express through Navy Federal is not helping.”
I ordered what I thought were Little Tikes toys. I received a cheap scarf from China. I immediately realized it was a scam after paying. I contacted my credit card company and filed dispute. After several months the amount put on hold was reapplied for payment. I had no one to contact at the company because it was a scam website. I now have some contact information through my credit card company and of course no answers to the phone number provided. My credit card which is American Express through Navy Federal is not helping. Ever since the order placement for little tikes toys my email and my phone have been compromised as well. I am receiving emails for another person and my phone rings with scam calls all day long. I would like my money back and this place shut down so they can’t get over on others. This was a first for me and prayerfully the last.
4) “The lady told me they do not sell their products on any sites”
There was an ad on Facebook that was advertising a big sale for Little Tikes products at 70% off. I made two orders, did not receive an email confirmation, so I sent an email to the provided customer service email, followed up by calling the phone number provided. When I spoke to someone on the phone, it was the actual Little Tikes company but the lady told me they do not sell their products on any sites. It is all through stores like Target.
5) “I am very worried”
Ordered a playset that was listed as 70% off. Paid $78.99. I never received an email confirmation and I felt uneasy about it so after researching I found others saying this website is a scam! I am very worried and had to put a hold on my card and get a new one issued. When I called my bank dispute department, they said the charge was going to a Taylor Street Quarters. Taylor Street Quarters is in Australia and is listed as restaurant, obviously not a Little Tikes distributor.
6) “PayPal’s system denied my claim, saying that the purchase was consistent with my purchase history (whatever that’s supposed to mean).”
I purchased an item at LittleTikesr.com, which looks like the actual Little Tikes site (including having Little Tikes logos, phone number, and customer service email address). Following the purchase, I did not receive an email confirmation, which I thought suspicious. I called the customer service number and reached the actual Little Tikes Customer Service. After explaining my question about my order, the customer service representative told me that they do not sell to individuals, only to merchants, and that LittleTikesr.com is a fraudulent site, not actually connected with Little Tikes. She gave me the real address of Little Tikes, and suggested that the fraudulent site was probably in Las Vegas. I checked while she was on the phone and found the address indicated above. However, the email and phone number given on the site match those on the real Little Tikes site.
The email and name I entered above are what I see in Paypal: [redacted]
I contacted Paypal through their online system and reported the fraud. PayPal’s system denied my claim, saying that the purchase was consistent with my purchase history (whatever that’s supposed to mean). I have appealed PayPal’s ruling.
I checked my bank account and the money has not yet been withdrawn from my account by PayPal. I am working with my bank to try to prevent those funds from going out.
When I go to LittleTikesr.com now, and view my order, it shows first that the payment was successful on 3/17, and then shows payment as failed on 3/18 (tomorrow). PayPal shows the money as paid, and shows no failure.
I am hopeful that my bank will be able to prevent the Paypal withdrawal, and am glad that it is not a large sum ($79.99) but I am concerned that this site is a very good copy of the real Little Tikes site and they are actively advertising on social media and could defraud a lot of people.
7) “I received an error message and thought I had entered the card information wrong”
I was recently added to a mom’s coupon group on Facebook. I normally do not click the links however, this morning shop.littletikes-toy.cc was having a 70% off sale. Trusting the group a friend added me to was a trustworthy group I clicked. I noticed there wasn’t much of a selection on the website and that EVERYTHING was 70% off. After loading my cart with a few items I tried entering my card information. I received an error message and thought I had entered the card information wrong, so I tried a few more times. In the mean time, my friend was able to successfully add items to her cart and complete her order. She stated her confirmation email seemed legit but there was not a date of expected delivery and the emails she has since received have been odd. At this point I decided to Google the website and discovered Little Tike’s official website where things looked similar but no sales. I realized the website was a scam but they have my name, email address, cell phone number, card number, and mailing address in their system. I have tried deleting my information and log in but the website does not allow for me to.
8) “I did not pay enough attention”
I saw a Facebook ad for a Little Tikes flash sale. The company logo was used and looked legitimate. I made a purchase of a child’s bounce house for $70.99 and received a confirmation email. Later that evening I saw the ad again but noticed a lot of comments saying it was a fake site. I googled the scam and was concerned. When I called my credit card there was not a pending purchase of $70.99 but an $80 pending purchase to a shoe store. The new Facebook ad used a website with a different variation on Little Tikes instead of ltikes. I did not pay enough attention to the website since the logo and products appeared accurate.
9) “My assumption is that it is made to have the shop subdomain in order for people to not notice the full domain is incorrect”
This site was posted to a Facebook group as Little Tikes (littletikes.com) but with massive discounts on expensive items. This is a tip off, as they were MASSIVELY discounted, which made it more enticing for parents to give personally identifiable information and financial information in order to get these expensive toys and playsets. Upon further investigation, this does NOT seem like the same company or in association with Little Tikes, but someone fraudulently trying to impersonate Little Tikes for personal or financial information. ltikes.com does not resolve properly, but shop.ltikes.com does, where you will see a website similar to Little Tikes official website (littletikes.com). My assumption is that it is made to have the shop subdomain in order for people to not notice the full domain is incorrect, increasing the likelihood for someone to give their information. It also gives a contact email address of email@customerservicebest.com, which is a big give away. They do use some of the same information as Little Tikes official website, but that is something that they do not use. They both have nameservers setup using Cloudflare, which would make sense and is easy enough for them to have, but the registrar is different, which is unusual for a big company. The sites User Experience is similar, but it isn’t the same, and also has grammatical errors, which is a telltale sign that this could be fraudulent. Thank you for reading and I hope that this gets taken down, as I don’t want people in this trying time to have something else go wrong financially, which could be crucial to peoples current livelihood.
10) “Later on my daughter told me she had read it was a scam.”
I saw an ad on Facebook for a sale at Little Tikes. I clicked in to it and it was an incredible sale. I ordered over $70 worth of things to get the free shipping. Later on my daughter told me she had read it was a scam. I checked it out and there are a lot of reports of it being a scam. The $74.88 has already come out of my checking account.
11) “Hopefully this puts an end to this scam”
This company is a fraud. They have a variety of Little Tikes products and are falsely advertising huge sales. Luckily my credit card company declined the charge. The charge was for a different amount than I was purchasing and from a company “Murry River Canoe HIR.” Once I was notified of this I decided to dig deeper and looked for the original Little Tikes site and attempted to log in with the account I created on the fake site. It did not work. I am reporting them so that hopefully this puts an end to this scam and no one else gets robbed.
12) “It seems this should be stopped as soon as possible”
A friend told me about a sale on Little Tikes website so I started to investigate. Upon signing the site I noticed that the website looked odd, littletikesonlines.com. Most websites don’t use “onlines.” I registered with the site and the email was even more suspicious, so I googled scams associated with the company and in fact this seems to be an ongoing issue. The email came from “Playhouse Toy,” and another email address listed was servicecenter@customerservicebest.com. It seems this should be stopped as soon as possible, I can’t imagine how many people aren’t as aware and fall into this trap. Unfortunately the information I’ve listed is probably all that may be useful, however can provide the email if needed. Thank you for your time.
13) “I placed my order, then realized the website was a fake.”
I ordered 2 different types of Ride-on Cars from a Website that claimed to be Little Tikes Company. I placed my order, then realized the website was a fake. I placed the order on June 26, but the tracking number order said it had delivered my packages to my house on June 20, 2020. I have tried calling the number on the email to try to get a refund, but the number is always busy when I call. I have also tried to email him (which I emailed him on July 3, 2020), and have not got a response. The tracking order may have been a recycled order.
14) “I know this is probably like a hydra, but please help me to shut down these bogus websites.”
I unfortunately saw an add on Facebook a sale on Little Tike Toys and clicked. I did not notice the bogus website address (https://www.littletikes.best/shop/) and placed an order on 7/28/2020 using my American Express (“Amex”). Later that evening, I realized my error and checked the pending charge on my Amex which was initiated by a company named “Pretty Pow.” I have never heard of Pretty Pow but after a subsequent visit to their website (https://www.prettypoow.com/) I saw they were alledgedly a glass manufacturer based in Atlanta. I cancelled my card and am disputing the charge with Amex, but I would like these sites shutdown to avoid any other people falling for the same mistake. When I disputed the charge with Amex, I learned that they used Stripe to process the payment. I have contacted Stripe to make them aware of the fraudulent merchant. Stripe and Amex advised to attempt to resolve the issue with the merchant themselves. The first website (https://www.littletikes.best/shop/) does not have a contact number or address and from what I can gather is hosted by “Global Frag Networks” which also has no contact information. The second website (https://www.prettypoow.com/) has a contact number that is constantly busy and an address of a rural home in Georgia even though it’s website depicts it’s place of business as a glass making shop called the The Crieff Visitor Centre, which is actually located in the UK. This site is hosted by Magneto ECommerce by Pixie Media; I have reached out to them to inform them of the fraudulent website. On 7/28/2020, the day of the charge, I received a “confirmation email” from service. I requested that the order be cancelled as it was a fraudlent site. They responded yesterday 7/29/2020 that the site “is legal and secure, it works for many years, please don’t worry” and that the order may have already been shipped. Again I requested that the order be cancelled and have not heard back. I know this is probably like a hydra, but please help me to shut down these bogus websites. I have already reported the ads to Facebook as well. Thank you.
15) “The site looked exactly like the legitimate site”
I followed a Google ad for a page i thought belonged to the Little Tikes company (Toy Manufacturer). The site looked exactly like the legitimate site so i ended up placing an order and submitting my personal information to create an account. I did not realized it was a fake site until i got the “confirmation” email that looked suspicious. It was then when i checked the page again and i realized the sire URL was not the legitimate site. After that i check my credit card statement and i saw that the merchat was register with as Tazaworks, a balloon vendor in AZ.
16) “I looked up Little Tikes on Google, I clicked on the first website not noticing until later…”
I looked up Little Tikes on Google, I clicked on the first website not noticing until later it was www.littletokes.com. They had all the disclaimers, site maps, PayPal agreement, etc., company logos, and legit products on their site. It compared to the actual Little Tikes site, which I had previously been on in the past. It looked and seemed legit. It offered a sale of 60% off the LITTLE TIKES products. It was a great deal and I supposedly bought 9 items. I was sold the following items: 2: Gas n’Go Mowers, 1 Cozy Coupe Off Roader, 1 Scooteroo, 1 Rock Climber and Slide, 1 Build-a-House, 1 Little Tikes 3-Foot Trampoline, and 1 Cozy Coupe. It wasn’t until my PAYPAL went through that I saw the charges were to a TABITHA THOMPSON and not the LITTLE TIKES company. The tracking number said it was sent that very day and was shipped. [redacted] I reported it to PAYPAL and now am trying to report it federally. I have no responses from PAYPAL or the seller. I have reached out to both and opened a case on PAYPAL. The website is still there and came up again on my google search. I do not want other mother’s to be tricked and scammed.
17) “It is a false and mock website made to look like Little Tikes”
On the 22nd of July 2020 an ad appeared on Google for a flash sale on Little Tikes products. I have been in the market for a toddler bed for my son, and Little Tikes sells a very cook Jeep Wrangler toddler bed for nearly $400. Through the sale I was convinced I purchased that same bed for $97, through the use of PayPal. I received no order confirmation or receipt from the website. I received a payment confirmation through PayPal that $97 was sent to Karen Scott. I go back and further investigate the website I had purchased from. It is a false and mock website made to look like Little Tikes, but the url is “littletoke” instead of “littletikes.” I immediately go to the contact information on the website, that I have included in this report. The phone number isn’t in service. I sent an email to what was listed on their website “office@customerservicebest.com” and I have not received a response from that contact. At that point I suspected fraud and I contacted PayPal, they gave me an email that is connected to the recipient of the money “wisviorepar1980@gmx.com.” I sent an email to them asking to cancel the order and they have not responded. On 24 July I get a notification from PayPal that Karen Scott has entered tracking information for my product. The information was through USPS code [redacted]. I have not recieved a package from them. You enter the tracking code into the USPS website and it says the package was delivered 14 July (6 days before I made the purchase). This website is a scam posing as a legitimate company.
18) “The website came up and it LOOKS legit until you read the info.”
Was on Facebook and a LittleTikes ad popped up. The website came up and it LOOKS legit until you read the info. The address is missing a zip code. The phone number belongs to a hair salon and they are receiving many calls from people who are ordering and not recieve proper email confirmations and updates, and they are not receiving the toys in the mail. The email on the site is invalid, mail cannot be delivered error. Called LittleTikes and this is not their website. Also, they do not sell toys directly but through a 3rd party (Walmart, Amazon, etc). Transactions are clearing checking accounts as Debit POS/SIG Withdrawal.
19) “One victim reported the company sending them a pair of fake sunglasses”
The business claimed to be Little Tikes in a Facebook ad. They were offerring heavily discounted play sets. I didn’t scrutenize the site as thoroughly as I should have, and I fell for the scam by purchasing a Little Tikes™ Real Wood Adventures™ Wolf Mountain™. Once I saw the receipt email, I got suspicious. Then I started visiting more pages on the website…lots of common mispellings, generic support links, and other such signs. Visiting the real Little Tikes website, I learned that these play sets are exclusively available at Target. Doing some further research, it became clear that this is a common scam, and many other people have fallen for it, too. One victim reported the company sending them a pair of fake sunglasses, paying a descent amount for a real shipping transaction, which aided the scammers in looking legitimate when disputes are attempted.
20) “What I thought was the Little Tikes webpage”
I ordered off of what I thought was the Little Tikes webpage being shared by other moms on Facebook. I ordered a large wooden swing set and a baby swing. Said I paid $99.00 at first and then later $113.00 via PayPal to a name Marsden Morse. Can’t get a hold of anyone about the products or anything.
21) “They never shipped the items”
Please investigate into this company. They are always on sales or discounts their items. I believe there are thousand people of parents losing money or cheating by this scam. We ordered toys for our son on February 29 and it has been almost one month, but they never shipped the items to us. I contacted them 3 times, but never get any response. I have seen that they continue to advertising their discounts. please investigate this company.
22) “I had an uneasy feeling”
Facebook had an advertisement about a Little Tikes mother’s day sale. A friend of mine sent me the link. We both proceeded to shop, and I noticed that they offered payment via PayPal. However when checking out it did not offer PayPal and took me to a Sprint payment page. I had an uneasy feeling so I called the number listed on the website, and it turns out it was a fake address and number. Unfortunately they were using the information of a wig shop, and the shop had recieved numerous phone calls. It is a scam, and I am sure good parents trying to buy their kids items are being scammed.
23) “The price on the site said 1.99 USD, but they charged me 49.99″
I ordered a “little tikes cozy coupe” car. The price on the site said 1.99 USD, but they charged me 49.99 USD, i contacted the seller via email, IM, wanted to cancel the order and get my money back but no answer since than, and will not get after i searched the internet about FAKE sites.
24) “This site was advertised on Facebook”
this site advertises it sells little tike toys. this site was advertised on Facebook. this site shows up as secure. this site targets parents on a budget. I placed my order over 30 days ago. I tried to contact the company. There is no phone number. There is a link to talk to someone but it doesn’t work. i have emailed the seller multiple times and nothing. When I log in, the site says order still processing. the site is advertised as little tikes. when clicked on it takes you to http://little.findcheap.club/ if you try to search for the site by name you can’t find it. if you type the link it pops right up. when you pay, it asks you do it through paypal.
25) “Have had no response”
Placed an order online for big waffle blocks and 2-200 piece plastic ball packs and sent payment through paypal. Appears from receipt the payment went to Abigail [redcated] as the merchant. i emailed the company on April 5, 2020 and have had no response. There is no phone number provided.
26) “I haven’t heard anything back”
I placed an order on March 9, 2020. I money has cleared my account, but I haven’t received the items. I sent 3 emails asking because with all that is going on, I thought maybe it would be delayed. I haven’t heard anything back, so wondering if they are a legit business or now. Do you happen to know if they are or not?
27) “Hopefully they get caught and go to jail.”
Flash sale popped up in my Facebook feed for Little Tike toys. Website looked legit and after I made my purchases and received the emails I had a feeling it was suspicious. Then my paypal account said $104.00 paid for shoes (which isn’t what I was ordering) to a Lena Herrman. That raised suspicion. Then I went back to the site and there customer care number isn’t complete. Unfortunately I noticed the red flags afterward I purchased items. I’ve did a flash sale before that was legit that is why I assumed this one was. Now I’m really upset and this site needs to be investigated and removed. Hopefully they get caught and go to jail. Also I went back to the Facebook post and read comments the only good comments came from foreign men which was also a red flag. I really wish I paid more attention.
28) “My attempts to contact the company have all been ignored.”
I purchased a Little Tikes trampoline from this website and never received it. My attempts to contact the company have all been ignored.
29) “Her statement says it was from Lilly Supply Now”
The consumer saw an ad on Facebook. She went to a website and tried to put the details for her order and they said there was an error. She tried another card and it didn’t accept it. When she checked her account, she saw charges on her credit card and debit card. Her statement says it was from Lilly Supply Now and Eveneach. Initially she thought the company was called Little Tikes. They charged $94 and $112. Her credit card denied it.
30) “Shame on them”
Advertised on Facebook – 3 day flash sale for Little Tikes. Website looks very similar to Little Tikes, has the actual toys and prices, logo. Filled a cart, went to check out and Chase denied payment and flagged as fraud with vendor of “ShurBeauty”. Tricked by a sale for kids play toys when stuck at home for a pandemic – shame on them
31) “They were offering big discounts on kids toys”
i received an ad on social media representing Little Tikes toys. The logo was the actual company and they were offering big discounts on kids toys. I placed an order which totalled $177.00 so I preceded to the payment screen and paid with a credit card. It sent me to Paypal and it paid a person named Maria Cisneros $99.00. I then learned through comments that people placed orders and did not receive their merchandise. i have placed a dispute with my credit card, reported the site to the actual company, and send a website complaint to this site.
32) “This website looks super legitimate”
I came across an ad on Facebook for a Little Tikes toy sale. When I went to purchase items, I realized the website was littletokes.com not littletikes.com. You can’t buy things off of the little Tikes website usually. This website looks super legitimate except for the url.
33) “You have paid successfully, please don’t worry.”
I was searching Little Tykes website for playsets for several days in a row. i had an ad show up in my Facebook feed for Little Tikes. I did not notice the difference in spelling of Tikes and they used the same logo as the official brand. I found what I needed on sale at this site. I tried to order it several times with my credit card, but it kept saying payment denied. it never went through with order. no confirmation number or message saying order complete. I left the site and disnt think mich of it. Several days later I received an email from shop@saleservicecenter.com. It said i ordered this item and ahould be on the way. the email was out and had many grammar mistakes. i emailed back and told them i need an invoice and tracking number for this order. i was emailed again to as follows: “Dear customer, Thanks for your email. You have paid successfully, please don’t worry. We send the invoice to you with the parcel,once you get the order package you can receive it. Thanks for your understand.”
I did not like where this was going with vague answers. I called my credit card company and they said there were no charges on my card from this company. I emailed back to say my card was never charged and i want to cancel this order. Then i received this email: “Dear customer, Thanks for your patience. We have sent your order, but the certain shipping time depends on the different countries. The tracking No. [redacted] Please check the status through the link: wait patiently, too.”
I am continuing to receive emails from them saying my order is placed. I am not aure what to do feom here. Thank you for your time on this matter.
34) “I bought some things for my kids, since I can’t afford them at regular price”
I saw the ad on social media and it looked like the legit website of Little Tikes so I got excited for the supposedly “70% clearance” they had so I went on it and it seemed very legit and I bought some things for my kids, since I can’t afford them at regular price I thought I’d take advantage. I went on Google again after I purchased the stuff and I guess the website of the original one was different so that’s when I realized it was a scam. It doesn’t let me cancel purchase or anything.
35) “Facebook is NOT protecting the people using their site and they are allowing scammers to post ads”
Ads for Little Tikes toys at 70% off kept popping up in my Facebook feed. I clicked on one of the ads. There were and still are a ton of these fake ads on Facebook. I reported several of the fake ads to Facebook but they are not removing them. My kids picked out a swingset and a trampoline because they dont have either one of those and they really want to be able to play outside. I signed up for what I thought was the Little Tikes site but it’s not. I almost put my credit card information in but I felt like something was strange about the site. The part where you put your shipping address had 2 other people’s information in my “address book” who I did not know. One was in Canada and the other was in Rio Rico, AZ. I had just signed up for this site so I should not have had anyone in an address book on that site. Unfortunately they now have my home address, phone number, and know I have kids and I dont know what other information they might have gotten from my computer or from my facebook account because clearly Facebook is NOT protecting the people using their site and they are allowing scammers to post ads so they can steal people’s information. That is terrible!!! Like I said I reported several of the false Little Tikes ads to Facebook but they have not removed them. Facebook should be more responsible for what they post regarding their advertisements. I am fairly sure they are getting money for the ads. I reported the fake ads from Facebook with Facebook ID numbers to the real Little Tikes company also. Here are two websites they are using https://week.lttikes.com/contact_us.html and https://all.littletikes.store/contact_us.html both have the same contact info. There are more websites that they are using though.
36) “It wasn’t until after I placed my order for a swingset and slide that I became suspicious.”
While scrolling through Facebook, I clicked on an ad that appeared to be for Little Tikes. The bottom of webpage said Littlle Tikes ™ and all logos mimicked the actual Little Tikes company. It wasn’t until after I placed my order for a swingset and slide that I became suspicious. The confirmation email came from a strange email address and it stated that I was charged $130 instead of the $206 I was supposed to pay. I then began to do some searching and attempted to cancel my order, but am unable to get in touch with any customer service representative.
37) “So now we are out $127 because of our error”
It said that they were LITTLE TIKES and we thought they were it looked legit. We had placed an order but quickly realized that it was a fake site that had JUST been put up 2020 and the little tikes company had no idea about our order. We tried and tried to cancel our order but they have been non-compliant. We told them same night we ordered to cancel and the first e-mail address we sent it to bounced back and did not go through. We tried another e-mail and got a response at 2am MONDAY telling us that they got our order. COMPLETELY ignoring our various other e-mails telling them to cancel. Got another one today 8/17/2020 telling us “Dear customer, Thanks for your email. Our products are attractive in price and quality, and are 100% Quality Guarantee. It’s a pity that you want to give up the order. Can you consider it again as we have sent it out?Looking forward to your confirmation. Best regards,” We sent another saying NO DO NOT SEND GIVE US OUR MONEY BACK and have yet to hear from them. The number they provided IS from Little Tikes but as I said they do not know about our order. Also, they say they are based in LAS VEGAS but the merchant SAYS UTAH and the Merchant shop isn’t Little Tikes it says SHOPKEFAN and MISCELLANEOUS FOOD STORES – SPECIALTY STORES, MARKETS, CONVENIENCE STORES, AND VENDING MACHINES. So now we are out $127 because of our error now we are fighting to get our money back! DO NOT let anyone else fall for this!!!
38) “They pretend to sell Little Tikes items at a discount”
They pretend to sell Little Tikes items at a discount and encourage you to spend more for free shipping. They charge more than the cost of the items and never send anything. Fraudulent site and take your money.
39) “Please note ‘CLOTHINGCLOVER’ will be displayed on your credit card”
I was searching online for toys for my children, and came across what looked like the official Little Tikes toy website. They said they were having a clearance up to 85% off. I went to put an item in my cart for $65, and when I went to enter my payment information all of a sudden I was charged on my credit card for $135.45 to an unknown person. I received no email confirmation, order number, etc. The website appeared to originate from outside of the US, and I was scammed. The website was https://www.littletikesonlines.com/ and an email came from auto7@servicecentervip.com saying I had paid them the $135.45 even though I never approved the payment. This is the information that came in an email is below.
Order No.: 9985 Seller website: littletikesonlines.comPayment Date&Time: 2020-08-23 00:41:41.0Amount: 129.00 USD Payment No.: PS2008230041396302 Due to the foreign exchange rate, the amount displayed on your statement might be a little bit different from the real price. Please note “CLOTHINGCLOVER” will be displayed on your credit card statement instead of the website from which you purchased the mentioned product. It’s just used for sending bill statement by the seller’s payment processor as a tool.——————————————————————————————————————————————— ——————————-Should you need any further assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact our Customer Services department at cs@servicecentervip.com with the transaction details listed above. E-mail: cs@servicecentervip.com
40) “Many people who completed orders say that they never received merchandise but have and bank accounts drained”
I found the website through a facebook post. Website claims to be associated with the little tikes brand and is claiming to be selling kids toys and play equipment for deeply discounted prices. Many people who completed orders say that they never received merchandise but have and bank accounts drained or never received refunds for their orders that never came.
41) “Don’t let the bad guys win”
Purchasing a Little Tikes truck for a birthday present. Ad indicated a “sale” for two days 70% off. Customer service number provided was the actual customer service for Little Tikes. When the ad was still there after “the last day to purchase” was stated and noticed dates had changed and the new last day to purchase was that day, figured it was a scam. Contacted bank, which contacted VISA and was told not able to do a charge back to get my money returned. Scammers are safe or it seems protected. We did contact the customer service number that was posted which took us to the real Little Tikes and was informed they deliver to retailers not individuals. When made order the charge stated was $52.99, but when it hit my bank account they added another 5% making it $55.64. Would like my money back, don’t let the bad guys win and get rich on the money I work for.
42) “There are many grammar errors”
This site looks very real and is offering amazing prices on Little Tikes products. The URL had a warning that it wasn’t secure and the name of the website seemed off (“onlines”) There are many grammar errors in the About Us section. I feel pretty confident that this is a scam so want to report it.
43) “The website had Little Tikes real products, logo and everything”
I was trying to buy a tricycle from the legitimate Little Tikes website, but the first link I clicked in the Google search turned out to be a scammy website. The website had Little Tikes real products, logo and everything, but was offering a lot of discounts, which should’ve been my red flag. Thankfully Chase stopped the payment before it went through, so we did not lose anything, but I wanted to report it so no one falls for it.
44) “I honestly don’t know what I was thinking.”
While scrolling through Facebook I came across a "little tikes" link, clicked on it, and it took me to a website featuring a flash sale. I knew the products were too good to be true as I ordered a playground set worth around $300 for $60 and a table with chairs, and umbrella set for $30! I honestly don’t know what I was thinking. My first email came in and I noticed it was quite plain. The second email for the confirmation was also plain. I did contact them via email to ask if scam or not. Two other messages from them ended up in my spam folder therefore made me do more research to see if it was a actual scam or not. Put website in Google, similar websites have been created for this running scam.. Did report link through Facebook, now reporting here! Please contact me via email and I can send in screenshots or forward emails pertaining to case!
45) “Tried to email them and received fake tracking reports showing my order was enroute.”
Advertisment for Little Tikes toy sale. Never recieved my order. Tried to email them and received fake tracking reports showing my order was enroute. There are no phone numbers to call anyone. The order says its comlng from China. After a few weeks they stopped answering emails. They offered free shipping for orders over $70.
46) “Please help prevent these type of companies from advertising on social media.”
Friend saw an ad on social media and knew i was looking for a playset. She sent me the link from social media. The website looked legit, so I placed an order. I instantly got a text from my credit card company that an international charge occured. I cancelled my card and reported this to the CC company. This website is using another company’s logo and products to fradulently charge customers. I then looked on Little Tikes facebook page and saw they do not sell direct to consumers. Please help prevent these type of companies from advertising on social media.
47) “Now I feel absolutely awful because I texted the link to my friend”
The website https://sell.little-tikes.online had ads on facebook impersonating the company Little Tikes offering a 3 day store clearance sale. I almost purchased items and a friend of mine did purchase items which is when I started getting a hunch that things were sketchy. The date listed on her order was tomorrow’s date. Then I googled Little Tikes and saw that the url was slightly different and I could not find the same sale items there. Digging deeper I started finding small spelling errors and site map inconsistencies. I then found a post on Facebook from the real Little Tikes about a month ago warning that there have been scam sites impersonating them. Multiple people in the comments were sharing photos of websites that had the same sales as the one I found and Little Tikes was confirming that they were fake. Now I feel absolutely awful because I texted the link to my friend and she made a purchase and ended up trying to cancel her credit card when I realized the mistake.
48) “The representative advised that it was a scam”
I received an ad on Facebook reference a flash sale through Little Tikes. I made a purchase and the receipt had an odd format and verbage. I contacted the phone number on the website. The phone number is the legitmate phone number for Little Tikes. The representative advised that it was a scam and fraudalent website. I cancelled my credit card. The website had the actual Little Tikes information and logos.
49) “The number they have posted on their website is the actual Little Tikes”
Website pretending to be Little Tikes toy company offer up to 70% off. When I looked up the domain registration they domain had just been created 4 days ago. They are advertising on Facebook which is where I clicked on them. The number they have posted on their website is the actual Little Tikes but everything else about the website is fraudulent. https://us.littletiketoy.shop/
50) “I pulled up the legit Little Tikes page”
I was on my phone looking at Facebook and an ad was in my feed. I follow Little Tikes as I have little ones. I clicked the ad as I had no reason to suspect it being a SCAM (since I do follow them). I noticed they were having a BIG sale on their website. A little coupe was $17.99 instead of $54.99. A bounce house was on sale for $61.99 (normally $399.99). To check out, they ask for your name, shipping/billing address,etc. When it got to the credit card page, I waited as I didn’t have my CC on hand at that moment. When I went to show my husband the deals I had found, I pulled up the legit Little Tikes page on my computer and realized there were no such sales! I went back to the website on my phone and sure enough, the web address was different and a FAKE!!!
51) “There is also NO way to cancel the purchase”
My mother clicked on an ad on facebook to which she thought was the actually Little Tikes website but it turned out it was not and they said it would cost $87.99 but they charged her over $100. When you click on the Contact Us, it gives out the real Little Tikes phone number but the email is fake. There is also NO way to cancel the purchase either.
52) “Everything on the site is a copy cat”
My friend got a Facebook ad for “Little Tikes Play Big” sale. It takes you here- https://shop.littletikes-toy.cc which is an imposter website of the actually company Little Tikes. She had already made a purchase but I realized it was fake before I completed mine. Everything on the site is a copy cat of Little Tikes and it’s all advertised as being discounted up to 70% off.
53) “Deep discounts up to 90% off the regular price.”
An ad popped up on my Instagram page offering Little Tikes products for deep discounts up to 90% off the regular price. the website that it went to is vip.moretikes.com. This definitely did not look legitimate, thus my reason for reporting it.
54) “We figured it was legit because it was being sponsored by Facebook.”
On 8/17/2020 my wife found a sponsored link on Facebook marketplace for Little Tikes. We clicked on the link and found several items we wanted to buy. Even though the prices were suspiciously cheap we figured it was legit because it was being sponsored by Facebook. Though there were lots of grammar/ spelling errors we just hoped it was just a translation problem. We ordered a trampoline, wood train and table, bobcat ridge playset, slide bouncer, rocky river race for a majorly discounted amount of $130.00. By 8/20/2020 they emailed a tracking number for the order. on 9/9/2020 the package was delivered. inside the small box, with a customs label stating glasses valued at $15, was a pair of knockoff ray ban sunglasses. My wife immediately emailed the company but received a mailer demon notice from Yahoo stating the address was invalid. she also submitted a message via their website but they have not responded. Lastly, she disputed the charge on our USAA credit card. fortunately, they have not attempted to charge the credit card again.
55) “The website thanked me for my purchase, but did not give me an transaction order number.”
On February 6, 2021, I looked online for a particular children’s play equipment from Little Tikes. The site littletikes.savemoney.store was listed on the Google search I clicked on that listed website. It listed Little Tikes equipment at very discounted prices. I bought a piece of equipment for $116.99, but at checkout it stated there was an additional discount of $25.11. The total to be posted to my credit card was $91.88. After entering my credit card number, it took me directly to the PayPal site and then proceeded to complete the transaction. I realized that was not right, and it raised an alarm to me. The website thanked me for my purchase, but did not give me an transaction order number.
I googled to see if this website was fraudulent, and this website had been flagged online as being fraudulent from others. Then I went to the actual Little Tikes store, and they state on their website that they do not sell their merchandise to private sellers. They only sell their Little Tikes merchandise to vendors they list on their website such as Walmart, Target.
I tried logging into “my account” on February 12, 2021 at the littletikes.savemoney.store website, but now it states that Error: Sorry, there is no match for the email address andor password. I tried several times to log in but to no avail.
I immediately contacted PayPal on the same day to dispute this charge as I believe it to be fraudulentscam website. PayPal is investigating this matter so charges on my account can be removed.
56) “Ordered a Pirate Bed…”
Ordered a Pirate Bed from littletikes.club that was soppose to be on sale. I had just learned they are a fraudulent website mimicking littletikes.com
I really hope no other parent has disappointed kids like mine. And hope somehow this information helps catch these thieves.
57) “I typically can spot sites like this but right off the bat…”
My mom sent me the link in via Facebook messenger. The websites homepage image is the same as the real littletikes.com website and the logo is mostly the same as well. I was a little suspicious because the prices seemed too good to be true and there’s no mention of it being a summer sale or end of season sale or anything. When I checked the next day some of the price drops has changed from around 80% off to 60% off – that seemed odd. The real Little Tikes website has a post about fraudulent sites, so apparently this isnt new. But the site I sent is currently active. Once you dig in a little bit you can tell they dont have any contact information and their payment page looks a little off. They have a green verified site button at the bottom but of course thats not true. Please do your best to remove this site. I typically can spot sites like this but right off the bat this one was hard to detect and could dupe a lot of people.
58) “This individual is taking advantage of parents looking for affordable play items for their children.”
I received a link from my sister for a discount Little Tikes bed through this website: https:www.littletikes.club
I did not realize it was fake, and I went to purchase it. I provided my full name, full home address, and email. I then went to submit payment and submitted through Venmo. Venmo, unfortunately, did not provide the name of the seller until the transaction was complete, so I didnt realize it was fraudulent until I saw a message saying my payment to [redacted] was completed about 5 minutes after placing the order.
The website itself will not allow me to cancel the purchase, and Venmo said they cannot provide immediate action because the purchase was complete.
This individual is taking advantage of parents looking for affordable play items for their children.
59) “Someone needs to be searching online and monitoring what is out there as a full time job to protect people from these scammers!”
I’m looking to buy a water table for my granddaughter and trying to find better prices by making the purchase directly from the manufacturer.
Again, I found an impersonating website!
On my search this website came out as a top option: littletikes.club, with same logo, etc., instead of the harder to find real one, littletikes.com. Its quite well designed, no typos, same real mailing address!
It’s exhausting to do shopping online if we cant trust the websites are real or not!
Someone needs to be searching online and monitoring what is out there as a full time job to protect people from these scammers!
I have noticed several complaints starting in 2020 on the bbb.org website from people who never received their purchase, I bet they bought it on the fake almost real looking website!
When we report those websites here, do someone close them down? Or the efforts we do to report them is futile? I hope someone do something about this. Thanks.
60) “Soon afterwards, my credit card that I used to pay for my order was hacked.”
I was searching for a table and chairs set for my toddler granddaughter and thought I found a deal through the scammers website. I placed an order and never received it. I went back to the website and could only find an email address to contact them. To this day, my order never arrived, and I never received a reply to my email. The scammers used PayPal for online orders. Soon afterwards, my credit card that I used to pay for my order was hacked. Someone was trying to use my credit card to purchase gift cards. I can no longer go to the website it’s as if it was taken down. Help! I got scammed!
Do you have a story you’d like to share about getting scammed on the internet? Drop us a line at mnovak@gizmodo.com.
