In the United States, all child restraints must conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Recently, there has been an increase in counterfeit car seats because of online purchases, including major online retailer websites that allow third-party sellers (i.e., Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Temu). Counterfeit car seats are often made using cheaper materials that do not hold up in a crash and/or they may be missing key safety features.
To be compliant in the U.S., all car seats must include the following:
5-point harness with straps that go over the hips and shoulders.
Chest clip holding the shoulder straps together.
Splitter plate behind the seat, which is a metal component that connects the shoulder harness to the harness adjuster strap when installed in the vehicle.
Labeling with specific weight and height limits.
Manufacturing label with the name, model number, date of manufacture, and/or expiration date.
Registration card and manual. Registering your car seat is important because this is how the manufacturer will be able to alert you to any recalls regarding the seat you are using. Registering your car seat also verifies the seat is legitimate.
If any of the above mentioned items are missing, do not purchase or use the car seat. If you have purchased a seat online and it arrives missing any of these components, return the seat to the retailer AND notify them that you received a counterfeit seat so that they can investigate their sellers.
To learn more you can go to www.ctsafekids.org/child-passenger-safety/counterfeit-car-seats
You may use also this tool: licenseplatelookup.org to get history of any car before making purchase.