Looking for a new puppy? Be careful because you may be looking at a scam licking your face instead.
Americans are losing more money to puppy scams than ever – more than a million dollars in the last 12 months. And some states are getting hit really hard.
Take Alaska, for instance, where consumers are losing an average of $3,249.14 per scam. In Illinois there was an average loss of $766.22; Wisconsin reported an average loss of $917.50; and things are so off-the-leash in Pennsylvania that the Attorney Generals’ Office has gotten involved.
Consumer protection company Aura analyzed SMS spam and scam messages and caught an increase in puppy spam and scams upwards of 1,200% compared to historical averages. Aura told ConsumerAffairs that it’s seeing both breeder/purchase and adoption/rehoming scams targeting animal lovers.
Fake websites
On the front end, puppy scams operate much like other online frauds. Scammers entice buyers to their website after an online search, social media advertisement, email or text message.
The fake websites are incredibly convincing, with names like https://jamesdachshundpuppies.com or Sunsetpuppiescenter.com. Pictures of healthy and adorable puppies adorn the pages, with sellers falsely promising purebred dogs for reasonable prices. They often use images of non-existent puppies and send fake bills of sale and confirmation emails to deceive buyers.
In another twist to the scam, when a buyer finally settles on a dog and attempts to pay, scammers claim the credit card was declined or is not working. In reality, scammers have stolen that information to use later. But the fraud has just begun.
They then ask the shopper to pay using Zelle, PayPal or gift cards. While the shift to these insecure payment types should raise a red flag, consumers said it is easy to be swept up in the emotions of the moment when buying a pet and push forward anyway.
The scams have become more sophisticated, going as far as attempting to offer "Christian" dachshund puppies. See for yourself...
Don’t want to get taken? Here’s what you need to know.
Security industry veteran and leader at consumer protection company Aura, Dr. Zulfikar Ramzan, shared his tips on how to identify and avoid puppy scams with ConsumerAffairs. At the top of his warning list is not to buy a pet without seeing it in person. If that isn't possible, request a live video call to view the animal, meet the breeder, and evaluate the facility.
“Conduct a reverse image search of the picture of the pet you are considering,” he added. “If the same picture appears on multiple websites, it’s likely a fraud. You also can search for distinctive text from ads or testimonials, to see if the seller copied it from another website.”
Wiring money, or using a cash app or gift card are two other things you want to avoid for the simple reason that these payment methods offer no way to get your money back if you are the victim of fraud.
Ramzan suggests doing research to get a sense of a fair price for the breed you are considering. “Think twice if someone advertises a purebred dog for free or at a deeply discounted price, it could be a fraudulent offer,” he suggests.
But if you want to be really safe, then consider reaching out to a local animal shelter. “Many shelters are looking for fosters to help relieve animal stress and reduce overcrowding at their facilities,” Ramzan explained.
