Woman conned out of £1,000 when she ‘bought’ puppy
Perth dog lover warns of internet scam
Published:
A Perth woman is warning dog lovers to watch out for an internet scam after she was conned out of almost £1,000.
The woman, who asked not to be named, replied to an online advertisement offering a 12-week-old pedigree Akita puppy for just £250.
However, the seller continued to demand more cash.
She said: “My daughter and granddaughter had always wanted an Akita, and this seemed to be a great opportunity.
“I contacted the seller via e-mail, and following a short correspondence I sent off the money to what I thought was a seller based in Glasgow. “Then other unexpected fees begin to materialise – custom charges, veterinary bills, feeding costs, innoculations, kenneling, carriage costs.
“The demands sounded plausible but eventually I had sent a total of £968 over the course of two weeks.”
The seller then tried to bill the woman an additional £800 for a refundable life insurance policy to cover the puppy during carriage. She added: “At this point I reported the matter to the police and Trading Standards.”
Perth and Kinross principal trading standards officer Derek Hutchison said the woman had fallen for a well-known con trick.
“Unfortunately this lady is yet another victim of a worldwide fraud known as the puppy scam,” he said.
“Much like other advance-fee-fraud scams the buyer is asked to send money in advance for the purchase of the puppy via untraceable Moneygrams or Western Union money transfer.
“In order to avoid these types of scams remember some simple advice. Know who you are dealing with and try to independently confirm the seller’s name, address and phone numbers. If you have any suspicions at all do not send any money – contact the Trading Standards Department instead and speak to one of our officers."
Contact them on 01738 476476.
