Better Business Bureau Serving Greater Cleveland warns of pet scams

Better Business Bureau Serving Greater Cleveland is continuing to warn area residents about the ongoing rash of pet scams targeting consumers following an incident with an Avon Lake consumer.

According to a news release, the woman told BBB “I found the puppy online and emailed the seller. He responded with a set of basic questions that are typical of puppy adoption. We agreed on the purchase after I called and spoke with him, and I was told to pay through Zelle or a Vanilla Visa card.”

Once the scammer received her payment, he informed the consumer that he was going to get the puppy ready for shipment and that she would receive a notification from the shipper, the release stated. Soon afterward, the consumer received an email from the shipper saying that payment had not been received for a shipping crate.

“I foolishly paid for the rental of the shipping crate, because I received confirmation from the shipper that the rental fee was 100% refundable upon receipt of my puppy,” she told the BBB.

A few hours later the shipper claimed she needed to pay for puppy insurance due to COVID. At that point, “major red flags were raised. I contacted the seller and told him he needed to pay for the insurance,” she stated

U ltimately, the consumer never received her puppy and contacted both her bank and BBB. “I started looking into these types of scams (and) I found stories that matched my experience exactly,” she said.

BBB Serving Greater Cleveland is offering these additional tips:

• Don’t purchase puppies sight unseen — Don’t buy a pet without seeing it in-person first.

While this may be hard to do while adhering to current health guidelines, it’s still possible to visit a breeder and see puppies while still maintaining social distancing measures, the release stated.

Also, ask a breeder if they are willing to do Facetime or video conferencing. While this is not a preferred method, it’s still a way to validate the breeder has actual possession of the animals.

• Do a reverse image search of animal pictures — Conduct a reverse image search for photographs on the Internet by using sites such as Google or TinEye. com.

Search pictures of the pet you are considering. Be careful if the same picture appears on multiple websites, because you may be dealing with fraud.

• Don’t wire money — Don’t pay a breeder with a money order. Instead, use a credit card or PayPal in case you need to dispute the charges later.

• Search for previous complaints — Research the business at bbb.org. Also, do a Google search of the business name followed by “complaints,” “reviews,” or “scam” and see what pops up. If you find other people have been cheated by this business, steer clear.

• Check local animal shelters — Call local animal shelters and rescue groups. These entities can help individuals find adoptable animals.