Google is suing an alleged puppy scammer who used the search engine’s services to sell fake pets, the first of what the company said would be a growing number of lawsuits targeting apparent misuse by its users, Reuters reported.
AARP tipped Google off to the scam last September following a complaint from a South Carolina resident who had sent $700 in digital gift cards to an online seller for a basset hound puppy that they never got, Reuters said.
Google is seeking monetary damages and a court order banning the accused user, Nche Noel of Cameroon. Noel did not respond to a request for comment through one of several puppy websites named in the lawsuit, and an attorney was not immediately listed for Noel in court record, said Reuters.
Ahmed Banafa, a San Jose State University tech expert said any animal lover, especially one in search of canine companionship, could be enough to let your guard down when it comes to scams, KCRG reported.
“Thirty-five percent of the online scam is actually, you know, a puppy scam. So that tells you how bad how bad it is,” Banafa said, according to the news outlet.
Amid the pandemic, puppy scams have alarmingly increased.
KCRG said that a study found puppy scams increased by 165% in the U.S. from January to October 2021, compared to the same period in 2019 before COVID-19 hit.
“It’s disappointing that there are people out there taking advantage of, of individuals who want to add an animal to their home. And you know, and that’s really…
