- Americans were scammed out of more than $1 million in an online puppy scam last year.
- A grandmother in North Carolina says she lost her life savings to a Facebook pet scam.
- The FTC advises people seeking pets to use local shelters and be wary of unusual payment demands.
A surprising number of Americans are falling victim to online puppy scams.
According to veterinarians.org, the Better Business Bureau said it received thousands of reports of puppy scams last year, with total losses exceeding $1 million.
The BBB warned consumers about the scam in December, saying about 80% of online sponsored pet ads may be fake. The most commonly reported scams to the BBB originate from sites like Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist.
“Thus, anyone looking for an animal to adopt should exercise extreme caution when using such sites and always keep the aforementioned warning signs in mind when interacting with sellers. Yes,” writes veterans.org.
Katherine Smith, a grandmother from North Carolina, said she lost her life savings to a Facebook Marketplace scam while trying to buy a Yorkshire terrier for her grandson, ABC News reported. Smith told the magazine that she sent the scammer a $5,000 gift card.
“This was for him. It was something for him to hold on to,” Smith said of the grandson she is raising after losing his mother.
To spot puppy adoption scams, the Federal Trade Commission recommends using local animal shelters, doing reverse image searches of photos of the animals you're trying to adopt, visiting in person, and accepting payments. We recommend that you be wary of strange payment requests such as no. gift card.
“Legal shelters, shelters, and breeders alike want to make sure you and your new pet are a good match. They will encourage in-person or video conferencing,” the FTC says. states. “If they don't want you to visit, video chat, or talk on the phone, move on to someone else.”
The prevalence of online puppy scams has led to authorities cracking down on them. If caught, perpetrators could face stiff fines.
For example, the Illinois Attorney General's Office indicted a man in January on 16 different felonies related to an online puppy scam. The man is charged with theft, wire fraud, robbery and forgery. The Attorney General's Office announced that if convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 80 years in prison.
Prosecutors said the victims tried to buy puppies through online ads but were not adopted. The scammers allegedly used fake IDs and forged signatures to collect payments from money transfer services inside retail stores.
“We encourage consumers to thoroughly investigate online merchants and be wary of sending money through nontraditional methods, such as wire transfers or peer-to-peer payment services,” Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in a statement. Stated. “Today's indictment is the result of collaboration between Homeland Security Investigations and our retail partners. We want to thank them for their efforts to hold this alleged fraudster accountable.”
