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Toy company instructs parents how to spot counterfeits, avoid being ripped off

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – A warning for parents looking for this year’s hottest gift: make sure it isn’t a fake.

Fingerlings are little interactive monkeys that hang on your fingers. They normally cost $15, it’s cheap and the perfect toy this year. That’s probably why it’s sold out everywhere, which has been driving up prices on the secondary market to almost triple.

If you are looking for one online you could be duped into buying an off brand, even on Amazon.

WISH-TV reached out to the makers of the toy, WowWee. The company says if it says “ships from and sold by amazon.com,” you are purchasing an authorized WowWee product. The company also says customers should only buy from authorized retailers like Walmart, Amazon.com or Toys-r-Us.

Below is the statement from WowWee.

Under our Zero Tolerance Policy, WowWee is aggressively pursuing counterfeiters that are manufacturing and/or selling counterfeit products. As we continue to take steps to protect our consumers, we also encourage them to be diligent when purchasing Fingerlings and look for telltale signs of counterfeits – such as spelling errors on the packaging, the improper use of the Fingerlings brand name (e.g. Happy Monkey, Fun Monkey, Finger Monkey, Baby Monkey, etc.), prices that are unusually low, and other details that seem suspicious, such as products with plastic hair or low-quality packaging and products. We know Fingerlings is a high-demand toy, and we’re working very closely with our retail partners to ensure stores are stocked this holiday season. We recommend consumers purchase their Fingerlings from WowWee’s authorized retailers, which can be found here.

On Nov. 1 the company filed a federal lawsuit the U.S. District Court of New York against 165 sellers of counterfeit Fingerlings.