Puppy scam

[Neil Maley]

This is Chase's fault because why? If someone passes you a $100 bill and asks you to give it to the person beside you, and the person beside you runs away with it, is it your fault? Chase only moved the money to where they were told to send it.

There wasn’t a credit card used and no one forced the OP to send money. I’m not sure Chase has any liability. But it doesn’t hurt to ask if the bank can do anything- the worst they can say is no.

If anyone reads this, I hope you will research these kind of sites before you send any money.

Current Pet Scams

With online scams on the rise, please be aware of the many different types of pet scams. Many times users are lured in by a cute puppy or other pet for sale, only to find out that they have been scammed out of their money. The best way to avoid being scammed by those who are selling pets online...

www.ipata.org

 

[jsn55]

There wasn’t a credit card used and no one forced the OP to send money. I’m not sure Chase has any liability. But it doesn’t hurt to ask if the bank can do anything- the worst they can say is no.

If anyone reads this, I hope you will research these kind of sites before you send any money.

Current Pet Scams

With online scams on the rise, please be aware of the many different types of pet scams. Many times users are lured in by a cute puppy or other pet for sale, only to find out that they have been scammed out of their money. The best way to avoid being scammed by those who are selling pets online...

www.ipata.org

I agree with my colleagues that buying puppies on the internet is a just plain bad idea. But I think buying dogs and cats is a bad idea all around. Visit the local shelter and adopt a puppy and save its life. You'll probably be unable to retrieve your money, but your girlfriend will have a nice gift from you.

 

[kenish]

I use Zelle now and then (I'm with BofA). There's a warning that Zelle should only be used to pay family, friends, and trusted parties. They strongly recommend not sending money to other parties. The bank has no responsibility for Zelle transactions and there's no consumer protection (just like a money order). Scammers use this to take advantage of people. I'm very sorry you were victim of the breeder and the transporter.

 

[Chris in NC]

I'm sorry that this reply will be harsher than the standard replies on this forum.

1) This is a scam.
2) You are not going to be able to get your $1499 back
3) Zelle is a money transfer service akin to wire transfer or giving cash. There is no reversal unless the recipient sends the money back. The bank is not responsible for this. They simply sent the money where you requested them to send the money. The account that you sent to money to is likely closed and the money long gone.

4) NO REPUTABLE BREEDER conducts business in the way you described. No reputable breeder releases the dog sight unseen. They will require you to meet face to face (whether you visit the facility, or they will personally meet you at your location).
5) The cost of dog ownership far exceeds the initial cost. If $1499 is a financial burden (and I recognize that this is a large amount of money to lose), how are you going to afford the costs of dog ownership? ie vet bills, vaccinations, training, food, etc. The cost of dog ownership will be tens of thousands of dollars over the dog's lifetime.

Again, I'm sorry that you are the victim of a scam, but the blame lies with the scammer, not the money transfer service.

 

[Neil Maley]

I have to disagree with this- you can buy a dog without meeting the breeder in person. My grandson bought a dog like this from someone in California and he was in NY. He never saw the dog in person, but he researched the breeder thoroughly and use a credit card. And the dog was driven from California by a transporter.

There were only two legitimate breeders he found when he bought the dog that had litters. And the breeder didn’t require him to use Zelle, Venmo, or any of those cash services- he accepted credit cards. My grandson wouldn’t have paid if the breeder wanted money wired, Zelled or Venmo’d.

Of course my wife and his mother nearly had a heart attack after hearing about the purchase but he does have the dog and it was delivered safely.

 

[Chris in NC]

I have to disagree with this- you can buy a dig without meeting the breeder in person. My grandson bought a dog like this from someone in California and he was in NY. He never saw the dog in person, but he researched the breeder thoroughly and use a credit card. And the dog was driver from California by a transporter.

There were only two legitimate breeders he found when he bought the dog that had litters. And the breeder didn’t require him to use Zelle, Venmo, or any of those cash services- he accepted credit cards.

Of course my wife and his mother nearly had a heart attack after hearing about the purchase but he does have the dog and it was delivered safely.

Neil,

In today's day of e-commerce, I admit that I may be behind the times.

But, your son did do his research. As opposed to a fly by night operator who's website was created in October 2020

 

[Neil Maley]

Exactly. He researched and made many phone calls to verify the breeder. He didn’t tell anyone he bought the dog until he had it and it’s probably better because my stepdaughter and my wife would have told him not to do it if they knew.

 

[alexucimartinez]

It has been 8 days and the website is still live. I wonder if the OP reported it and what is the usual respond time from the host.

 

[yman74]

I know you guys don't like when I post on here but I do have to point out that there are great animals available for adoption at the shelters. I just got 2 great cats from a local shelter and now I can't imagine my life without them.

 

[Comicman]

It is funny that the day after I read this post my local tv stations new had an expose on this exact subject. It appears that this is becoming a common scam. They even had the part where they set up another scam website to do shipping. They said they get even more money selling the scamee a Covid puppy case as required by law. So I hope people see this and are helped to avoid this horrible scam.
I also have got all my current pets from the SPCA for many years now. With I might add a 100% happy results and long family pets.

 

[kenish]

It has been 8 days and the website is still live. I wonder if the OP reported it and what is the usual respond time from the host.

A website "takedown" is a long process, and scammers know this. A family member works for a major public utility- scammers are offering Covid-related "relief" programs for bills, or energy conservation programs on behalf of the utility. The utility is doing a major outreach (emails, billing inserts, and even TV ads) warning of the scams and set up a call-in number for anyone with questions or concerns. But the scam sites are still up and running while FBI and local law enforcement investigates. As soon as the scammers feel the heat it's easy to pull the plug on the site and reappear as a different one.

Here's where to report internet scams if you and/or the scammer are in the US. The FAQ's explain the process- a scam site will not go away for months:

https://www.ic3.gov/Home/ComplaintChoice/default.aspx

 

[RLB]

I agree with my colleagues that your money will not be recovered. If still interested in a schnauzer, you may want to check schnauzer rescue organizations. Your local humane society may be able to assist in locating some reputable groups.

 

[playklax01]

If anyone is interested, Kitboga on Youtube recently did a segment on a puppy scam. It's entertaining but informative as well.