Taking the Bite Out of Puppy Scams
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Puppy scammers hustle money from their victims by promising to
send them a dog that oftentimes doesn't exist.
Two Variants of the Puppy Scam
In one version of the scheme, the scam artist posts an ad in a
newspaper or news website for a puppy he will give away free
to a loving home. All you have to do to help the poor little
pooch is pay the $400 shipping cost. Victims send the money --
but their puppy never arrives.
One such scammer even claimed he and his wife were traveling
missionaries who could not keep their new litter of English
bulldog puppies! He conversed with one victim for a week and
sent pictures of the healthy pups.
In a second version of the ruse, the scam artist poses as a
breeder who promises a purebred puppy for a deeply discounted
price. The unsuspecting dog lover can't believe her good
fortune. A purebred Yorkie -- which goes for $3000 at the
local pet store -- can be hers for just $400.
The payment is sent, but once again the puppy that so tugged
at the hopeful owner's heartstrings never arrives.
Scam artists copy puppy photos from the websites of legitimate
breeders to use in their ads. Some even set up an entire phony
website, often using a stolen credit card, to make themselves
appear to be successful business owners.
In an alarming trend, a large number of puppy scam artists
have emerged from "breeders" in overseas locations like
Nigeria, making prosecution more difficult.
Victims usually receive contact only through email and are
asked to send payment via a Western Union wire transfer or
money order. This is a favorite payment method for scam
artists because the money can't be recovered.
Be suspicious of any deal that sounds too good to be true --
it probably is.
What to Do
If you have your heart set on ordering a puppy advertised over
the Internet, here are four tips that will help you stay safe:
1. Beware of anyone offering ridiculously discounted prices,
especially if they won't speak with you on the phone. Confirm
a breeder's name, phone number and address. Legitimate
breeders may be traced in directories such as
www.whitepages.com. (However, scammers often give pre-paid
cell phone numbers, so getting a phone number is no guarantee
that a breeder is legitimate.)
2. Look out for someone who promises to deliver a puppy within
24 hours. Most breeds need to be eight weeks old before they
can travel, making it unlikely a buyer could get a purebred
with such a quick turnaround time.
3. Ask for -- and carefully check -- references. Talk to the
dog's vet and to other people who have bought puppies from the
breeder.
4. Be suspicious of a seller who only accepts wire payments or
money orders. Use a payment method that offers fraud
protection, such as a credit card.
Finally, if you think you've been the victim of a puppy scam,
contact your state attorney general or the U.S. Secret Service
Office for Internet fraud.
For another common puppy scam, the overpayment scam, check out
the second story here:
http://www.scambusters.org/victims.html
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