The Better Business Bureau of Upstate New York says puppy scams are targeting more and more Western New Yorkers during the pandemic.
At least 7 cases in Western New York have been reported to the BBB.
OF MEAT PRODUCTSYOU CAN BUY.A WOULD-BE DOGOWNER HAS AWARNING.SHE WANTS TO MAKESURE WHATHAPPENED TO HERDOES NOT HAPPEN TOANYONE ELSE.NEW AT 11 -- NIKKIDEMENTRI SHOWS USHOW THIS WOMANWAS SCAMMED.THIS IS MAGGIE."BARKING"A 10-WEEK-OLDBERNESE MOUNTAINPUPPY FROM ABREEDER CALLED"BERNESE PUPPIES" INATLANTA."BARKING"OR SO THAT'S WHAT AFILLMORE NATIVETHOUGHT WHEN SHEREACHED OUT INEARLY APRIL AFTER AGOOGLE SEARCH FORHER DREAM DOG.THAT SEARCH TOOKHER TO THIS NOWUNREGISTEREDDOMAIN.
NAOMI ISONLY USING HERFIRST NAME FORPROTECTION."I WOULD SAY THEPUPPY JOURNEY HASBEEN A LONG ONE.
IT'SBEEN A LETDOWN."OVER THE COURSE OF12 HOURS NAOMIEXCHANGED DOZENSOF TEXTS WITH THEBREEDER WHO GOBY "ALAN." SHE WASSENT PHOTOS ANVIDEOS.ANDALTHOUGH WEARYTHROUGHOUT THEENTIREPROCESS.SHEEVENTUALLY SENTTHROUGH A DEPOSITOF $300 VIA PAYPAL.SHORTLY AFTER THATPAYMENT "ALAN"STOPPEDANSWERING."WE SHOULD'VEFOLLOWED THE TOOGOOD TO BE TRUETHING, BUT OURHEARTS DIDN'T LETUS.""MAGGIE THEPUPPY....TOO GOODTO BE TRUETHAT'S WHEN NAOMISTARTEDSEARCHING.ONLY TOFIND OUT THISBREEDER IS ASCAMMER.HERHUNCH WAS RIGHT ALLALONG.
ALTHOUGHSHE DID GET AREFUND, IT WASN'TUNTIL SHE POSTED AWARNING ON SOCIALMEDIA ABOUT THISSO-CALLED BREEDERSHE REALIZED SHEWASN'T ALONE.""WE'RE SEEING ANUPTICK IN REPORTSOF PUPPY SCAMSBECAUSE PEOPLE AREHOME.
THEY GOT THETIME.
THEY WANT TOHAVE THAT TIME TOTAKE CARE OF THATDOG."NAOMI SHARED HERSTORY WITH THEBETTER BUSINESSBUREAU UPSTATENEW YORK, WHICHALONGSIDE OTHERSACROSS THECOUNTRY, ISINVESTIGATING"BERNESE PUPPIES"AND OTHER RELATEDSO-CALLEDBREEDERS.
SINCE THEPANDEMIC BEGAN, THEBBB SAYS WESTERNNEW YORK HAS SEENAT LEAST 7 CASES LIKENAOMI'S AND FEAR ITWILL ONLY CONTINUE."SO PEOPLE ARERELYING ON THEINTERNET TO DOTHEIR SEARCHBECAUSE NO ONE CANGO ANYWHERE ANDUNFORTUNATELY THESCAMMERS KNOWTHAT."THIS ISN'T A NEWSCAM.RATHER ONETHAT'S RESURFACED.REGARDLESS, THEBBB SAYS FOR THOSELOOKING TO BUY APUPPY ONLINE.HEREARE SOME THINGS TOLOOK OUT FOR.-THERE'S NOPHYSICAL ADDRESS-THE WEBSITE LOOKSQUICKLY PUTTOGETHER-THE PRICE SEEMSTOO GOOD TO BETRUE-THE BREEDER ISONLY OFFERING TOCOMMUNICATE OVERTEXT AND EMAIL"IT'S JUST LIKE EVENBUYING A PRODUCT.WE ALWAYS TELLPEOPLE CHECK MORETHAN ONE SOURCE.SO YOU GO TO BBB'SWEBSITE, YOU GO TOGOOGLE, YOU TAKETHE TIME TO LOOK ATREVIEWS."AFTER THIS ORDEAL,NAOMI FINALLY WASABLE TO ADOPT HERDREAM PUPPY,CERSEI.
BUT SHECONTINUES TO ECHOTHE BBB'SRECOMMENDATIONBECAUSE SHE SAYSALTHOUGH SHE GOTHER MONEY BACK,SHE KNOWS MANYOTHERS WON'T.
ND,7EWN.
Since the COVID-19 shutdown, Nashville Humane Association (NHA) is seeing an increase in adoptions as people cope with isolation...
