REGIONAL – Deidre was excited about buying a dog from a “reputable Maltipoo breeding family.” The “breeder” had sent her photos and videos of her dog and claimed on the website 1Happy Miltipoo.com that it was not a puppy mill.
The “breeder” promised to send the dog with a “nanny” from Fargo, ND, to Logan Airport after the money was sent. An excited Deidre went out and bought all the supplies the “breeder” said little Coco would need.
But after Deidre sent the $600 by Venmo from her bank, her calls were not returned. She got no more videos. And no dog and nanny ever arrived.
Once she realized she had been scammed, she spent six hours talking to her bank, the police and the Better Business Bureau. She posted on several pet scam web sites that 1Happy-Maltipoo.com was a scam. She does not expect to ever see her money or the dog.
Deidre is one of thousands of dog lovers who are scammed each year, according to the American Kennel Club (AKC). When she called the local police department, the officer she spoke with said her father had just been scammed when he tried to buy a dog.
AKC warns it is common to see fake listings pop up on sites like Craigslist, but some scammers are clever enough to pose as trustworthy breeders by taking personal information from unsuspecting buyers.
The good news is that there are simple tips to help dog lovers spot the red flags, making sure your experience of buying a dog much safer. In addition to these tips from the American Kennel Club, Dee’s local police officer told her, “Never send money to someone you don’t know.”
A few red flags:
- No phone calls. A reputable breeder will always communicate with you via phone or video chat, if not in person, before selling you a puppy. Fraudulent sellers are oftentimes outside of the U.S. and may be hiding their phone number by only communicating by email.
- Copycat or stock photos. Photos of the dog or ad text can be found on multiple websites. Search for the text in the listing to see if the seller copied and pasted it from another site.
- Sketchy payment. The seller asks you to wire money or pay by gift cards. Avoid paying a stranger using apps such as Venmo, as it is harder to get your money back if you don’t get what you paid for. Paying by credit card or PayPal Goods & Services are typically the safest options.
- Price is too good to be true. Research the prices for the breed you are considering ahead of time. Purebred dogs sold at deeply discounted prices are typically frauds. If the seller says they register their dogs with a specific organization, you can call the organization to confirm.
- Breeder “badges.” AKC does not distribute badges to breeders.
Speaking for hundreds of scammed dog lovers, Dee left a final voice message on the Happy Miltipoo number: “Karma is a b….”
