Sarah Ebeling | Managing Editor
Some families obeying stay-at-home orders have turned to the Internet to look for a pet, thinking they would have plenty of time to help the pet adjust to its new surroundings. Many have come across scammers who advertise on websites for animals that don’t exist and are never shipped. The COVID-19 pandemic has given scammers the idea to ask for money up front, or to make excuses as to why buyers can’t see the pet in person — before heartbroken, would-be pet owners figure out they have been conned.
Locally, one family has recently been on the receiving end of getting conned.
Anna Crittenden and her family thought now was the perfect time to get a new puppy. After going online to the KELOLAND classifieds, the Hartford woman found an ad for a golden retriever. Crittenden sent a message in an email and was contacted by a woman asking for her phone number. After giving it to her, the woman messaged that she had three puppies and even sent photos to Crittenden who then picked out her puppy.
“Everything seemed legit. She said it was $450 for the puppy and delivery,” said Crittenden.
The woman told Crittenden she lived in Smithwick and would deliver her puppy to her.
But, things began to change when Crittenden asked if she could meet the woman.
“Every time I would ask if I could meet her, she would change the subject and kept saying we will deliver her,” she said. “I still didn’t think anything of it.”
Crittenden explained that later the same day, the woman contacted her asking if she wanted to get registered for a home delivery. Crittenden said the woman said she was coming with a kennel, food, toys and other things and asked for her home address, email and phone number.
“She later said she would get her ready to go through a pet agency delivery company,” said Crittenden.
A few hours later Crittenden received a phone call from an out-of-state number. Crittenden couldn’t understand the man on the other end of the line and said he would get angry with her if she told him she couldn’t understand him.
“He would be like, ‘Check your email right now I will hold.’ So then I started to get suspicious and told the lady it was a scam and I couldn’t do it. She said nothing is going to happen to your money,” recalled Crittenden.
It was after this that the man called again and told Crittenden she needed to send $600 more for a better kennel and vaccine so she could receive her puppy on her doorstep.
“I said to him, ‘I’m done’ and he begged why and then he never responded,” said Crittenden.
She explained that since they went through PayPal they were able to get their money back, but they could have lost it all.
“And our kids were looking forward to a dog,” she said.
According to Jessie Schmidt, South Dakota State Director of the Better Business Bureau, Inc. in Sioux Falls, puppy scams like these were the subject of a 2017 in-depth investigative study by Better Business Bureau (BBB), and they are prolific during the holidays.
She noted that people of all ages are being scammed and many are not reporting the incident.
“Don’t buy a puppy where you can’t go and see where they were raised. You want to go to where the breeder is,” said Schmidt.
She said that for anyone thinking about getting a dog, “If you know somebody that has the breed of dog you want, that is the best place to start.”
New data from BBB Scam Tracker shows that these scams have spiked since COVID-19 took hold in the U.S., with more reports about fraudulent pet websites in April than in the first three months of the year combined.
Scammers frequently take advantage of the news to find new avenues for targeting victims. The uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, along with some quarantined families’ decision to adopt a pet sight unseen, has created fertile ground for fraudsters.
BBB’s earlier study found that for these types of frauds to be successful it’s usually dependent on bogus, often sophisticated advertisements to hook unsuspecting consumers. Experts believed, at that time, that at least 80 percent of the sponsored advertising links that appear in an internet search for pets may be fraudulent.
Actual numbers of pet fraud may be much higher than reported, because many victims either choose not to file complaints or do not know where to turn for help.
Many victims who contacted BBB’s Scam Tracker reported they wanted to adopt a puppy in order to ease their isolation and brighten their lives during the pandemic.
Victims were often told that they needed to send money for special climate-controlled crates, insurance and a (non-existent) COVID-19 vaccine. There also were several instances where the consumers wanted to see or pick-up the animal but were told that wasn’t possible due to COVID-19 restrictions.
As for advice to others, Crittenden said, “I would just tell people to watch who they get ahold of. The number may seem legit but be careful of this scam!”
Tips for avoiding puppy scams:
· Don’t buy a pet without seeing it in person. If that isn›t possible, conduct an internet search of the picture of the pet you are considering. If the same picture appears on multiple websites, its likely is a fraud. You also can search for text from ads or testimonials, to see if the seller copied it from another website.
· Avoid wiring money, or using a cash app or gift card. These payment methods offer no recourse and no way to get your money back if you are the victim of a fraud. Fraudsters may claim to accept credit cards, but may steal your credit card information to use it in other scams or inform you that payment didn’t go through and request the payment via wire service or gift cards.
· Research prices for the breed you are interested in adopting. If a purebred dog is advertised for free or at a deeply discounted price, and then other payment is required for services like vaccination or shipping, it could be a fraudulent offer.
· Consider reaching out to a local animal shelter. Especially during this time of quarantine, many shelters are looking for fosters to help relieve the animal’s stress and reduce overcrowding at their facilities. Humane Society of the United States refers consumers to local shelters.
· If you think you have been scammed, report it to BBB Scam Tracker and the Federal Trade Commission. You also can report it to petscams.com, which catalogues puppy scammers, tracks complaints.
— Some information for this story provided by Jessie Schmidt, South Dakota State Director, Better Business Bureau, Inc.