LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- We've all done it: shopping from the comfort of our homes. You scroll through social media, seeing ads for popular clothing and shoes. You point, click, and it's easy.

But sometimes, those enticing ads aren't what they appear. One of the latest scams hitting people lately involved the popular Hey Dude shoes.

Wesley Johnson, who lives in Owensboro, thought he found a deal.

"I've been interested in the Hey Dude shoes for a bit and I didn't really need any shoes," Johnsons aid. "But scrolling Facebook, I saw an ad that they were $19.99 a pair, which is pretty cheap for those type of shoes. They're usually around $60.

"I tried to remain skeptical. I guess it caught me off guard. Whoa, $19.99! And then I started digging. I wasn't going immediately for it, but it did make me think, 'Maybe I should do this.'"

With his IT background, Johnson noticed some red flags before buying the shoes. The ad had a similar name to the Hey Dude shoes website, but it wasn't the real thing.

"There also wasn't a blue verified check that Facebook uses to identify real companies, and I did notice the address went to China, and the company is based in LA," he said. "So all kinds of red flags stuck out to me right away."

And around Louisville, this scam is making rounds too. The Better Business Bureau said one buyer never received two pairs of shoes they ordered and later realized the contact information in the confirmation email was fake. So their money went to the scammers.

Hey Dude Shoes Scam

The ad had a similar name to the Hey Dude shoes website, but it wasn't the real thing.

"It ranges from $50 to a few hundred," said Whitney Adkins with the BBB. "A couple of them have been given the runaround. They sent them a fake tracking numbers or they are told, 'Yeah, it's on its way.' A couple others haven't gotten any response at all."

Adkins has a few tips to protect yourself.

"You've got to think, 'This is a popular item. Would it really be listed for this ridiculously low price?'" she said. "Secondly, just be aware of ads on third-party sites in general."

Hey Dude also isn't the only one that scammers are trying to fake.

"We've seen reports of Dick's Sporting Goods," Adkins said. "Unfortunately, (they're) fake ads that go to fake websites that look legitimate, and the victim never gets the item they ordered."

The BBB said it's also best to research the company first and visit the site directly.

"If there's a sale, it's going to be on their site," Adkins said. "It's not just going to be in this ad on social media."

Johnson says he's just glad he didn't lose any money.

"I didn't end up ordering but I did look at the comment section, and a lot of people said they ordered five or six pairs," he said. "I did report the page to Facebook and I think that one did get taken down. But, as I mentioned, I saw other variations of the scheme pop up, and it would probably be impossible to report them all because it did pop up so much."

Here's the real Hey Dudes website, which also says it's the official site. If you find a fake or fraud Hey Dude website, you can report it to the company under the "Contact Us" page on its website.

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