BBB warns of puppy shipping scams

The Better Business Bureau is warning the public about puppyselling scams that have surfaced in the last few months.

The idea is that an online posting indicates that someone is rehoming a puppy on behalf of their ill family member who can’t care for it anymore.

The puppy is free of charge, but the interested party must pay for shipping through a specific shipper at the request of the seller. The BBB has received numerous reports via Scam Tracker of an online scam just like this, where consumers have reported personal losses between $400 and 500 each.

The same seller was offering different puppies, such as Rottweilers and golden doodles, on at least 15 separate online postings. Once the buyers sent the payment to the shipping company

for the puppy, the seller became unreachable and the puppy never came because it never existed in the first place.

In most transactions, a buyer should be able to choose the shipping company they want to use. However, a common red flag in these scams is that the seller

dictates what shipping company is to be used.

Another warning sign is the method of payment.

The requested shipper claims their bank accounts are currently under an audit, and that you must use Western Union to transfer the money. The BBB reminds consumers that audits do not affect a bank accounts ability to accept deposits.

Buyers were also instructed to not reveal the reason for the payment. No person or business conducting legitimate transactions will ask someone to engage in deception.