Pregnancy gift card scam spreads to South Florida

MIAMI – All around the U.S., women are receiving letters that include a card, filled with coupons and cards, along with a sweet note from a woman named Jenny B. congratulating them on their pregnancies.

The problem is, for almost all these women, they have no idea who Jenny B., and more important, many of them aren't even pregnant.

"It's a questionable marketing scheme, is really what we see to be a little bit unethical," says Cinthya Lavin of the Better Business Bureau in South Florida.

Lavin says Better Business Bureau locations around the country have been hearing about these cards for two years.

"The company is out of Utah and it's called Mothers Lounge, LLC," Lavin told Local 10. "But then there are different companies that they also own that are really all with baby-related products."

The marketing cards may seem harmless enough, but the Better Business Bureau says when an unsuspecting mother actually goes online to use the coupons or gift cards, they learn the harsh truth.

"They're being charged outrageous amounts for shipping or whatever they're receiving is really not what they bought, or they're not receiving the item at all." says Lavin.

In fact, the Better Business Bureau say they've received nearly 90 complaints and Scam Tracker reports about the company. More than 60 of those complaints have come in the last two months, along with dozens of one-star reviews about the deceptions.

The cards even appear as if someone made mistakes before sending them; with smudges as if the person was writing in marker. There's even a fingerprint, which is also on every single card.

Local 10 reached out to Mothers Lounge and received a statement about their marketing techniques.

"The qualified recipients for this mailer have, at one point, subscribed to an opt-in list for maternity deals and coupons through a third-party marketing company." a company spokesperson wrote.

However, according to the Better Business Bureau, most of the people they've heard from have no recollection of ever signing up for those kinds of deals or coupons, and may have never been pregnant before.

The organization says if consumers receive the cards, the best thing to do is throw them away.