The U.S. Government has declared them unsafe, and the most high profile retailers have rushed to remove them from stores and online.

And now New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) has deployed a series of large posters warning commuters not to use, or even carry their hoverboards while on the property.

You might miss them if you don't look closely, as they look very similar to the normal New York subway posters warning you to watch out for thieves and advising you to stand away from the edge of the train platforms.

A hoverboard ban sign posted in New York's Penn Station, presented in six different languages. Image: Mashable, Adario Strange

However, in the last couple of days, the posters began popping up in the city's transit stations in a bid to avoid possible fire-related hoverboard accidents. At present, most of the "Hoverboards Not Allowed" posters can be seen in the underground areas of New York City subway stations and at Long Island Railroad entrances, featuring large illustrations of hoverboard-riding figures flouting the ban.

"Hoverboards may be the latest fad, but they are not safe because they have the potential to catch fire. Let's travel together, safely," reads the advisory. "You cannot bring one into the subway, onto a bus nor into rail cars or stations. No carrying, no standing, no riding ― no exceptions."

The message is also translated on the poster in five languages, including Spanish, Chinese and Korean.

Weeks before the government notice went out regarding the hazards associated with hoverboards, the MTA warned commuters that the hoverboard ban was in effect.

But now that the posters are popping up, just days after the government safety notice, the seriousness of the potential dangers of hoverboard malfunctions may finally begin to dawn on some of the more hardcore fans of the device.