Blumenthal calls for ‘crackdown’ on pet scams
Asks FTC to reinforce penalties after Hearst Connecticut investigation
NEWINGTON — U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal is calling for a “crackdown” on pet scams that have surged during the pandemic.
Wednesday morning Blumenthal visited the Connecticut Humane Society — a non-profit animal shelter — to talk about the rising pet adoption scams that Connecticut residents far and wide have experienced. He also sent a letter to the acting chair of the Federal Trade Commission, Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, urging the group to “take steps to ensure that pet scams are fully investigated and to bring its full enforcement authorities against perpetrators of this fraud.”
“Cruelty of animals, exploiting of consumers, that’s what these scams really mean. It has become worst because more people than ever before would like to have pets, the companionship and comfort… but at the same time the scams are burgeoning,” Blumenthal said.
The call for action comes following an investigation by Hearst Connecticut that showed at least 77 pet scams have occurred in Connecticut between 2020 and 2021, the vast majority relating to puppies. Total losses to those scams were calculated to be more than $57,000, although a Better
Business Bureau spokesman said that likely only represents about 10 percent of losses in the state.
Blumenthal said the amount of pet scams taking place nationally is up about 130 percent since 2020, noting similarly it it is like “just a fraction” of all opet scams occurring because many go unreported.
“Let’s stop the dishonesty and deception,” Blumenthal said, underlining
the need for “strong investigation with penalties that will deter these kinds of scams and [give] money back for consumers.”
“The Federal Trade Commission has a responsibility to go after these scammers. People are losing millions of dollars in Connecticut,” he added.
In the letter, Blumenthal also encouraged the FTC to go beyond providing “helpful tips to spot fake advertisers”
adding “more information, alerts and action are needed.”
James Bias, executive director of the Connecticut Humane Society agreed. According to Bias, pet scams have become more prevalent during the pandemic as more people stuck at home took to the internet seeking out a furry friend for companionship.
Scammers often post listings online and lure in pet-seekers with false claims to give them a pet so long as all the expenses are covered. Bias said the schemers prefer to communicate via email or text rather than over the phone and request payments via a wire transfer instead of checks and credit cards.
Similarly, they demand a deposit and a slew of shipping fees up until shipping day arrives, when they ultimately disappear without sending the animal. Most people are so entrenched in the transaction by the time the warning signs appear that they decide to move forward with the sale anyway, Bias noted.
“We’re here to say buyer beware, do your research, hold people accountable [for] people taking advantage of people whose hearts are open to acquiring a pet,” Bias said.
Unfortunately, Bias has seen how getting caught up in a pet scam can produce an adverse reaction for those buyers causing them to lose interest in procuring a pet.
“It can leave somebody with a bad taste in their mouth once they’ve lost their money, that they were going to use to be able to afford a pet, that it may delay their legitimate acquisition of a pet or be left with such a nasty taste in their mouth that they put off acquiring a pet,” he said.