Puppies At Center Of Latest Scam

By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics and access other forums reserved for members. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today by clicking here.

Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 3:12 pm

www.star-telegram.com

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Puppies at center of latest scam

By DAVID COLKER

Los Angeles Times

And now for the latest scam from Nigeria: puppies.
The Council of Better Business Bureaus and American Kennel Club will issue a warning today about fraudulent Web sites, MySpace postings and print ads asking people to help save puppies.

The sites and ads usually show adorable bulldog puppies that have become stuck somehow in Nigeria or other countries and are offered free to new owners. A variation is to offer the purebred, English bulldogs -- a particularly expensive breed -- at vastly discounted prices.

People who responded to the ads eventually were asked to send hundreds of dollars to cover expenses such as shipping, customs, and inoculations on an ever-escalating scale. Some reported paying fees totaling more than $1,500.

"It's like the Nigerian advance fee scams we've been seeing for years, except with the face of a puppy," said Steve Cox, a council vice president.

No matter how much was paid, no puppies arrived.

Even the pictures probably were fraudulent, which leads to the only good news about the situation.

"When people hear about these scams involving pups they get so upset for the poor dogs," said Alison Preszler, spokeswoman for the council. "But at least I can say to them, 'There are no real puppies involved. It's all a fake.'"

The scam is real and growing. In the last couple of months bureaus across the country have been reporting more complaints, Cox said.

Kim McDonald of Gallipolis, Ohio, wanted an English bulldog for her son. Together they looked over online ads, finally narrowing their choices to three.

McDonald, 41, e-mailed them. "They told me they were at a conference in Nigeria," said McDonald.

She and her son chose a puppy named Emma being offered for free. McDonald sent $350 to cover all costs, including shipping. They were told to expect flight information, but instead came an e-mail asking for $200 more for customs fees.

McDonald had been told the puppy was coming from a breeder in Tennessee. Only the so-called "agent" was in Nigeria.

She called the designated breeder, who told her that operation didn't handle English bulldogs at all.

McDonald was dismayed, and not just about being scammed.

"We had gotten so excited about this little puppy that was coming," she said. "We were so sad."

So, with her ex-husband agreeing to split the bill, she went to a legitimate local breeder and got an English bulldog puppy. The cost: $1,600.

Baiting Guru Joined: 03 May 2007 Posts: 18313

Not only are the puppies non-existant, but you can get them to change the gender. I got an email from Jessica Herbert, saying she was a missionary in Africa and needed someone to adopt her adorable yorkie puppy (female). I told her repeatedly that I wanted a male puppy, with no response on "her" part to that request/question. After a few weeks, and shipping arrangements later, I demanded to know if the puppy was male or not because I really wanted a male. Presto! Male puppy. Laughing

419Eater is my life Joined: 23 Apr 2007 Posts: 377

Good luck with Jessica Herbert, her shipping agents Mike and Dustbin are lazy gits, they certainly arent keen on forms and answering any sort of question! Laughing

Posted: Thu May 31, 2007 1:30 pm

I've jsut started my puppy bait. its lovely. My initial response included a 4 page questionairre. thought I'd test out that straight up the middle approach to see what happens.

Not sure If I'll be dealing with Dustin though Baeder, I thought I'd bait someone else first, then leave that one until a little later.

Puppies At Center Of Latest Scam	View next topic View previous topic