Wrapped up in the excitement of welcoming a new furry family member, many people brush off red flags when purchasing a puppy – and that’s exactly what scammers are counting on, according to the Better Business Bureau.
The BBB released an update this week to its 2020 puppy scam study. While the number of scams appears to be falling, the average cost is rising, the BBB says.
From January to September 2022, the BBB Scam Tracker received 1,577 reports of puppy scams for total losses of more than $1.3 million – an average loss of $850 per consumer. That’s up from $755 per consumer in 2021.
The Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker received 1,577 reports of puppy scams from January to September 2022 for total losses of $1.3 million – an average of $850 per consumer. While the total number of scams appears to be falling, the average cost per consumer is on the rise. (Better Business Bureau)Provided by Better Business Bureau
Pet scams historically make up 25% of all online shopping frauds reported to the BBB and are on track to be about 18% this year.
The holidays are a prime time for scammers to run this multi-tiered con, the BBB warns.
Here’s how it works:
- Scammers entice buyers to their website after an online search, social media advertisement, email or text message.
- The fake websites have legitimate-sounding URLs and photos of healthy puppies.
- Sellers falsely promise purebred dogs for prices well below market value. This is a red flag.
- When a buyer settles on a dog and attempts to pay, scammers claim the credit card was declined or is not working. However, scammers have stolen that information to use later.
- They then ask the customer to pay using Zelle, PayPal, Venmo, gift cards or other hard-to-track, insecure methods. This is a red flag.
- After the initial payment, fraudsters will proceed to a “courier scam” and use the shipment of the dog to extract more money for bogus charges like shipping insurance or heating and cooling devices for crates, the BBB said.
- If a buyer becomes suspicious, the seller often claims that the consumer will be charged with a crime for failing to secure the animal safely.
- The dog never arrives because it doesn’t exist.
“Consumers said it is easy to be swept up in the emotions of the moment when buying a pet and push forward (despite red flags),” the BBB said.
Yorkies, Daschunds and French Bulldogs make up nearly 30% of all puppy scams, according to 2022 BBB Scam Tracker reports. However, more than 40 breeds have been mentioned in reports to the BBB, so buyers should be cautious when purchasing any breed.
Here are the BBB’s tips to avoid a puppy scam:
- See pets in person or via video chat before paying any money.
- Conduct a reverse image search on photos attached to ads.
- Research the breed determine the average market price – if a website is offering a price well below market value, it’s likely a scam.
- Opt to adopt from a local animal shelter instead of an online breeder.
Puppy scams are notoriously difficult to prosecute as the perpetrators are often outside the United States and the websites appear and vanish quickly, hampering law enforcement efforts.
Who to contact if you are the victim of a puppy scam:
- Better Business Bureau – BBB Scam Tracker to report fraud online.
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC) – reportfraud.ftc.gov to file a complaint online or call 877-FTC-Help.
- Your credit card issuer – report the incident if you shared your credit card number, even if you did not complete the transaction. Monitor your statements and if you suspect fraud, ask for a refund. It is not guaranteed, but many credit card companies will grant one.
- Petscams.com – petscams.com/report-pet-scam-websites tracks complaints, catalogues puppy scammers and endeavors to get fraudulent pet sales websites taken down.
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