ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Combine people wanting a puppy during the pandemic and an actual shortage of puppies and you get scammers ripping people off and breaking hearts.
The Scam Tracker from the Better Business Bureau shows reports of online shopping scams surged since 2020 and pet scams make up 35% of those reports in 2021.
Michelle Corey of the BBB discusses the scam with Debbie Monterrey on Total Information AM:
The BBB report shows scammers try to capitalize on the holidays by posting pictures of puppies in Christmas hats, in stockings and with bows. Corey says when the would-be pet buyer/pet parent sees the puppy of their dreams and contacts the seller, they might encounter the following red flags, including not being able to see the pet in person "because of COVID-19."
"The scammer may claim [the customer] must use a pet delivery agency of some kind, usually an airline," says Corey. "And then the scammer may demand fees for vaccinations or other last minute needs. And they usually require an untraceable payment method, like PayPal, Zelle, Google Pay, Venmo or CashApp."
The largest group of victims of this pet scam are in the 25- to 35-yeas-old range, followed by 35-44. The average reported financial loss was $1,088 with 82% of the scams involving dogs.
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Why is there a puppy shortage? One reason: high demand. Another, according to Corey, "The CDC suspended imports of dogs to the US from 100 countries deemed at high risk for rabies. Typically in the past, the US imports about 1 million dogs a year."
Tips to avoid getting scammed:
• Insist on seeing the pet in person before paying any money. A video of the dog is not enough. If you can't see the dog in person, insist on a video chat with the seller.
• Do a reverse image search of the pet's photo. Chances are it's a stock photo or one taken from another website.
• Research what would be a fair price for the pet you want. A very low price should raise some red flags.
• Pay with a credit card in case the deal goes south. Credit card companies may stop the payment.
• Check out your local animal shelter where they are plenty of pets readily available to bring home at a very low cost.
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