State Police: Beware of Pet Scam

State Police in northern New York have received multiple calls from people scammed out of hundreds of dollars after answering classified ads for purebred puppies for sale. Victims report after answering the ad, the suspects provide a photo of the breed they are looking for and arrange a deposit to be paid. Once the deposit is cleared, the victim is provided an address, which does not exist, to pick up their puppy. Recently, these fake addresses have been in the St. Lawrence County area. 

State Police warn the public of some common themes in this scam:

• The deposit is requested to be made via payment apps, such as Zelle or CashApp.
• All communication with the “breeder” takes place via text. 
• Address for the puppies is not provided until after the deposit is made.
• The “breeder” sends the victim stock photos of whatever breed they are looking for.

The American Kennel Club offers the following tips: a reputable breeder will always communicate with you via phone or video chat (if not in person) before selling you a puppy. Fraudulent sellers are oftentimes outside of the U.S. and may be hiding their phone number by only communicating by email or text message. Beware of seller who asks for wiring of money or payment by gift cards; if you choose a non-secure method of payment, it is highly unlikely that you will get your money back. 

The Better Business Bureau recommends that if you use a credit card or any app to send payment, be sure to contact them if you are scammed. They also ask that you report these scams and false ads to the Better Business Bureau. You can also report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) – reportfraud.ftc.gov to file a complaint online or call 877-FTC-Help.