The BBB shared a story of a Huber Heights resident searching for a Maltese puppy after recently losing their dog. He found one online, agreed to pay $800 for it via Zelle, and two hours later was told the puppy was with the shipper, who would contact the buyer directly.
The shipper contacted the buyer, and asked for another $1,940 via Zelle or other cash-transfer service for a climate-controlled crate, telling the buyer to pay immediately to avoid a delay. The buyer declined, and after declining a further offer to split the cost, the buyer said they would just come pick up the dog.
The shipper said they would get back to them with an address and never contacted them again.
Law enforcement and the BBB warned that pet shoppers should take “extreme caution” while searching for pets.
The BBB recommended that shoppers always see the pet in person before paying any money, perform a reverse image search of the photo of the pet, do research on fair prices for the breed and be skeptical of deep discounts. The BBB also recommended checking local animal shelters for pets.
The BBB said victims of pet scams are urged to contact Petscams.com, the Federal Trade Commission and the BBB Scam Tracker.
According to the BBB, reports of these scams have risen as the pandemic dramatically increased demand for pets, especially after cities and states began to impose tighter restrictions. The BBB said it received nearly 4,000 reports in 2020 from the U.S. and Canada, with more reports in April than in the first three months of the year combined.
As the holiday season arrived, the rise of scam reports continued, with 337 complaints in November, compared to 77 in the same month in 2019.
The BBB said that the median amount lost in these scams in 2020 is $750, with most of the reports coming from people ages 35-55.
About the Author
