Beware of Bed, Bath & Beyond Clearance Scams

Don’t be tempted by ads on social media for going-out-of-business sales at Bed, Bath & Beyond. The deals might look good, but they also might be fake.

The Better Business Bureau has received reports of scammers who are stealing from consumers by luring them to impostor sites with the promise of discounted goods.  Here’s what to know about Bed, Bath & Beyond clearance sale scams and how to avoid them.

How the Bed, Bath & Beyond sale scam works

When home goods retailer Bed, Bath & Beyond filed for bankruptcy in April 2023, it started offering discounts on its products as it closed stores. Then, Overstock.com bought the company’s intellectual property (including its name, website and app) in June and rebranded itself as Bed, Bath & Beyond in August.

Scammers have been taking advantage of these changes by advertising fake going-out-of-business sales, according to the Better Business Bureau. The ads for deeply discounted Bed, Bath & Beyond products have been posted on social media websites, such as Facebook.

When consumers click on the ads, they are directed to sites that have the Bed, Bath & Beyond logo and look legitimate. However, the URLs for the sites reveal on close inspection that they aren’t affiliated with Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Victims of the scam have reported to the Better Business Bureau that they never received orders that they purchased and that emails to the impostor sites usually aren’t answered. When victims do receive responses to emails, they have been told that the order was shipped to the wrong address and that they would have to address the problem with the U.S. Postal Service.

How to avoid Bed, Bath & Beyond sale scams

Bed, Bath & Beyond has been working with federal authorities to shut down the impostor sites, according to the Better Business Bureau. However, as some sites persist and new ones pop up, it’s important to take steps to avoid falling for clearance sale scams.

Don’t click on ad links. If you see Bed, Bath & Beyond sales posted in ads online or on social media sites, go directly to the company’s site rather than clicking on the ads. If you don’t find the advertised deals on the official site, the ad likely was fake.

Check URLs. If you do click on an ad, check the URL of the site to confirm that it is https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/. Don’t make purchases on sites other than the company’s official site, even if they look legitimate. Look closely at URLs to ensure that letters aren’t missing, such as a .co instead of .com, or that additional letters or words aren't included, such as deals.bedbathandbeyond.com.

Use a credit, not debit, card for online purchases. Credit cards offer more protections that make it easier to get your money back for fraudulent transactions and for purchases that merchants aren’t willing to refund.