Australian’s warned to not fall for an adorable puppy scam

  • Scam watch has warned puppy lovers to think before they buy rare breeds online
  • More than $310,000 has been lost have after 584 reports of a puppy scam 
  • The adorable fake puppies have been posted on social media and classifieds 

Heartless scammers are conning puppy lovers out of thousands of dollars by advertising rare breeds online.

Scammers are using these sought after puppies and setting up advertisements pretending to be selling the adorable pup.

In the last 12-months there have been 584 reports about the scam involving these puppies and more than $310,000 lost. 

Scammers are using sought after dog breeds and setting up fake ads pretending to be selling the adorable pup

The fake puppies have been sent to personal email accounts, advertised on classifieds and on social media. 

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) revealed the puppy scammers play on the emotions of people who have their heart set on the particular breed. 

‘Once they see that cute puppy picture in an ad, they drop their guard and tend to miss the warning signs they’re dealing with a scammer,’ ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said. 

The common trait of the scam is the seller will say they have moved overseas or interstate and can no longer keep the dog. 

In the last 12-months there have been 584 reports about the scam involving puppies and more than $310,000 lost

In the last 12-months there have been 584 reports about the scam involving puppies and more than $310,000 lost

They then suggest you have to pay for the transport or medical costs before it can be delivered.

Another tall-tale is a payment needs to be made before a dog can go through quarantine. 

‘If you hear these tales from a ‘seller’, stop all communication with them. The puppy, sadly, isn’t real and if you make those payments, you’ll lose your money,’ Ms Rickard said.

The puppy scam has mostly caught out 25 to 35-year-old women. 

Women were found to be three times more likely to fall for this scam than men. 

Ms Rickard reiterated the age old adage that if it is ‘If it seems too good to be true, it probably is’. 

‘Scammers will place ads selling pedigree pups at cheap prices. Don’t fall for it,’ Ms Rickard said. 

 

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