We’re never in favor of buying a puppy or dog (unless someone needs a specially trained pet), but this is one more reason to adopt, not shop.
Follow Better business room, the agency has discovered an alarming increase in online pet scams, which are “spiking” during the pandemic. The disturbing trend prompted the agency to issue an urgent press release warning people to exercise extreme caution if shopping for pets online.
BBB wrote in statement. “Knowing the signs involved in this scam can help people avoid heartbreak and loss of money.”
Internet pet scams — which cost owners hundreds or thousands of dollars for pets that never materialize — are especially common around the holidays, when families consider adding a pet. added a four-legged member. And while a large number of cases (82%) involved dogs, online shoppers were also misled when trying to buy cats, birds and iguanas.
Unlike animals that are adopted through shelters, internet scammers don’t let buyers actually meet the animals before depositing money, often under the guise of breed safety requirements. But they will send a lot of photos – right before asking for money for vaccines, supplies, and hefty shipping/delivery costs for an adorable pet that may not even exist.
A woman of St. After sending the woman a few photos of the dog, the so-called breeder requested the balance on the Zelle and she happily paid.
But even though the bank flags the transaction as fraudulent, Zelle (like Google Pay, Cash App, Venmo, Apple Pay, and other cash apps) can’t be tracked, so it’s popular with scammers. Needless to say, that adorable cavapoo puppy never showed up.
In California, another frustrated buyer lost $1,350 after she and her husband tried to buy a samoyed puppy online. The woman thought she was safe because she signed an email contract with the “breeder” before transferring the money, again via Zelle. She suspected a scam when scammers asked for more money for a temperature-controlled box, but by that point, it was too late.
Follow BBB Scam Tracker, most people lose around $1,088 in online puppy scams, but this figure is just average. It also doesn’t affect the feeling of preparing to welcome a new family member who will never arrive.
Of course, the solution to this problem is quite simple – apply, don’t shop! Skip the scams and head down to your local shelter, where there will be plenty of adopted dogs and cats eager to find their own homes.
Not only is pet adoption a much safer (and cheaper) alternative to buying a pet online, adoption also saves lives. and for shelter pets in their family. Isn’t that what the holidays are?
Read BBB’s full statement.
