If you use social media, you see it every day. Puppies or kittens offered for free with a small rehoming fee. Or breeders saying they need to find homes for a recent litter. You are scrolling through Facebook and adorable photos of puppies pop up that need a home. Maybe one of your friends inadvertently shared the information. However, the person isn’t local. Beware, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, warns the Better Business Bureau.
In the local region, so far in 2022, it’s scams like this that have cost consumers nearly $10,000. Once potential pet owners send money to these so-called breeders, communication is cut off.
“They will email you saying the puppy you picked is available and will fly the puppy to the airport nearest your home,” said a Wise County puppy scam victim. “You answer all these questions about the dog and give them your address, and they are so nice. Once you send money through Zelle, you would receive the flight details on your dog. I never received any information. I never heard back from the guy and never received my money back from my bank. I lost $900.”
Tactics used by scammers have shifted drastically during the past several years, with scams being perpetrated online rising 87 percent since 2015, according to a new report published by the Better Business Bureau.
The new report, Start With Trust® Online: BBB Online Scams Report, analyzes the changes in how scams are…
