BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Connie Bolen of Brevard County will never forget the day her 10-year-old Pomeranian-Chihuahua mix was put down.
The loving dog they named Buddy had been diagnosed with diabetes, and there was no alternative.
“I was heartbroken,” Bolen told News 6. “Just to make me feel better (my husband Tim) said, ‘OK, let’s get a puppy,’ and we tried, but we got scammed.”
The Bolens started an online search for Teacup Yorkies and found a connection with a woman who claimed to live in Jacksonville.
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When they inquired about the puppies, they received an email from a woman, who wrote in part:
“Thanks for the response, the puppies are available, 11 weeks old male and female, the female weight is 750 gram while the male is 840 gram.”
The Bolens missed an obvious red flag: the weight was presented in grams instead of pounds.
The woman claimed she was a stay-at-home mom and not a breeder. She even invited the couple to visit the dogs but never provided an address.
“We don’t mind you coming to view the puppies before buying,” she wrote.
Then the odd twist came; instead of having the puppy driven to Brevard County, the stay-at-home mom — who identified herself as Sharon Milan — was going to ship the dog via air delivery.
The Bolens live just south of Melbourne (about 2 hours and 39 minutes away by car). Still, they wired the asking price of $500.
“Then, I got a message from the people that were supposed to fly our puppy down,” Connie Bolen recalled. “And they needed more money.”
Their bank refused to allow them to wire additional funds.
The next day, the Bolens realized they had been scammed.
“My scam radar is up now,” Connie Bolen told News 6.
According to the Better Business Bureau, 80% of sponsored pet ads may be fake.
“That is a common scam,” Longwood BBB CEO Holly Salmons told News 6. “You’re lured into paying a deposit without laying your eyes or hands on these pets.”
The BBB offers six tips to avoid becoming a victim of a pet scam:
- Do your research! Only purchase from a reputable dealer. Check BBB Business Profiles on BBB.org for complaints and customer reviews before you make the purchase.
- Don’t buy a pet without seeing it in person. If that isn’t possible, request a live video call to view the animal, meet the breeder, and evaluate the facility.
- Conduct a reverse image search of the picture of the pet you are considering. If the same picture appears on multiple websites, it’s likely a fraud. You also can search for distinctive 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 way to get your money back if you are the victim of fraud.
- Do research to get a sense of a fair price for the breed you are considering. Think twice if someone advertises a purebred dog for free or at a deeply discounted price. It could be a fraudulent offer.
- Consider reaching out to a local animal shelter. Many shelters are looking for fosters to help relieve animal stress and reduce overcrowding at their facilities.
If you have a consumer or unemployment issue, email makeendsmeet@wkmg.com or text the words make ends meet along with the issue and your email to: 407=676-7428.
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