As you have been hearing and reading in the media lately, there is a baby formula shortage currently taking place and Massachusetts is feeling the effect of the shortage. As a matter of fact, according to an article published by WBUR, baby formula was out of stock in 43% of Massachusetts stores in the first week of May. There's no doubt that Massachusetts parents are in major need of baby formula.

Of course, whenever there is a shortage and/or people are in desperate need of an item, scammers seem to take note and prey on that desperation which is truly unfortunate. Case and point, there is currently a scam going around that is related to the baby formula shortage. This particular scam is really sneaky and shows that these con artists will go to no end to take advantage of those parents that are in desperation of obtaining formula.

Get our free mobile app

According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), the way the scam works is there will be an ad, post, or social media group post that indicates there is baby formula available for purchase, however, this is bogus. The buyer will contact the seller online and make a purchase of the formula either through Paypal or Venmo but guess what? You got it, the buyer never receives the formula. Now, not only does that individual not have baby formula, but the buyer has also burned a hole in their pocket. I know from personal experience that baby formula is not cheap.

Make sure you protect yourself and avoid falling for this scam. The BBB has a list of signs and tips alerting buyers of the potential scam along with ways to make sure they are making legitimate purchases. You can view all of these tips and get complete details by going here.

READ ON: Check out this list of banned baby names in Massachusetts.

Naming a Massachusetts Baby Any of These 11 Names is Illegal

KEEP READING: Here are the most popular baby names in every state

Using March 2019 data from the Social Security Administration, Stacker compiled a list of the most popular names in each of the 50 states and Washington D.C., according to their 2018 SSA rankings. The top five boy names and top five girl names are listed for each state, as well as the number of babies born in 2018 with that name. Historically common names like Michael only made the top five in three states, while the less common name Harper ranks in the top five for 22 states.

Curious what names are trending in your home state? Keep reading to see if your name made the top five -- or to find inspiration for naming your baby.

Gallery Credit: Stacker

More From WNAW AM