Online stores are peddling fake “Made in the USA” products to unsuspecting consumers looking for patriotic gear to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, according to reports.
Websites selling items claiming to be American-made are proliferating ahead of the country’s landmark birthday, prompting the government’s Better Business Bureau to urge consumers to be on the lookout for new scams.
Debbie Sayfoot, of Deltona, Florida, told WKMG that she and her husband try to buy U.S.-made products, which is why an advert for a pretty, patriotic T-shirt that was made in America caught her eye.
“I saw this shirt, and it was so pretty on there,” Sayfoot said. “What I thought I was ordering was a patriotic shirt that had sequins, because in the picture, it looked like there were sequins all over the shirt.”
However, the shirt she received looked nothing like the ad. The shirt was a graphic T-shirt with sequins screen-printed on it, instead of real sequins sewn on. When she tried to return her shirt, she learned it had come from China.
“I opened up the package, like, what is that? That’s not what I ordered,” she said.
She also noticed other issues with the shirt. Patriotic stars on the front were missing points, and there were no tags inside to show how to wash it or where it came from.
One website selling faux American-made items is Wendlly.com, which claims to have sold hand-knit Merino wool sweaters made in the U.S. since 1986. However, the website’s domain records show it was created in October 2025, according to WKMG.
The online retailer also sells sequined graphic T-shirts similar to the one Sayfoot received and has sections of its website labeled “America’s 250” and “Dress for America’s 250th.”
It was not immediately clear which website Sayfoot bought her shirt from. However, domain records confirmed the Wendlly website was also selling items from China — not the U.S., as it claimed.
The Independent has contacted Wendlly for comment.
Sayfoot, who was trying to get a refund, was told by the company that “all returns had to be sent to China,” she told the outlet.
“Why should I have to send them back to China when they’re supposed to be American-made?” she said.
Experts with the Better Business Bureau are urging consumers to be cautious when buying commemorative merchandise. The U.S. Mint is producing commemorative coins to celebrate America 250, but scammers are also selling similar products.
“They’re using patriotic images. So we’re just automatically thinking, oh, yeah, this is the official coin,” Karen Reeves of the Better Business Bureau told WAFF.
“I think the thing to know and understand is anyone can manufacture a commemorative token or coin. Unless it is produced or authorized by the U.S. Mint, it is not an official U.S. commemorative coin.”
Experts also say consumers should research the seller if they’ve never heard of a brand and look for reviews of items purchased.
Sites with massive discounts can also be a sign of a potential scam. Additionally, even if ads appear to be professional, they may still be a scam.
Consumers looking to ensure they buy legitimate merchandise should go to the official America 250 store, Reeves said.
