A female has actually been left sad after she was among numerous victims of a puppy rehoming fraud, it has actually been revealed.
Published 28th Apr 2023, 06:18 BST
Updated 28th Apr 2023, 06:19 BST
The brand-new fraud includes propective animal owners being deceived into paying in advance for puppies they will never ever satisfy.
Scammers are fraudulently offering the address of the Dogs Trust Leeds Rehoming Centre as a pick-up area for puppies, according to a caution from Dogs Trust and the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI).
Katherine Hart, CTSI Lead Officer for Scams, said: “This is a particularly nasty scam, because the potential victims are being manipulated into forming an emotional attachment to a new dog.”
In one case, the fraudsters informed the victim: “I will give you a baby you love and care and he will show you all the love you need from a pet.”
After paying a ‘rehoming fee’ and an extra ‘vet bill’, the victim got to the Dogs Trust Leeds Rehoming Centre just to be left sad when she understood she had actually been deceived.
Ms Hart continued: “It’s also very cynical because it exploits the fantastic work that Dogs Trust do in order to get people to part with their money.”
Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppers were being marketed on Facebook. Prospective purchasers were informed that the seller was ‘strictly picky’ about the kind of home the dogs would be offered to and after that asked a series of concerns developed to generate personal details.
Once victims have actually paid in advance for a puppy, they come to the rehoming centre to gather their brand-new animals, however are informed they have actually been scammed.
Adam Clowes, Dogs Trust Operations Director, said: “When purchasing a puppy, do your research study initially, and if something does not feel right, do not do it. If an advert appears too good to be real, it most likely is.
“Never spend for a puppy in advance, and constantly visit the mom with the puppies, going to numerous times prior to you devote. Ask to see vaccination records; any genuine breeder would enjoy for you to come and see the dog with its mom and consider that type of details. And no genuine breeder would ever ask you to spend for an animal’s veterinarians expenses prior to you purchase it.”
