MARION (WSIL) -- Scammers are getting more creative, especially during the pandemic, finding ways to take advantage of families searching the Internet for a new puppy.
In just the past 12 months, the Better Business Bureau reports nearly 2,000 scams involving dog purchases, with some costing victims several thousands of dollars.
Those scams have hit members of News 3's viewing region, with one victim sharing his story in hopes of keeping it from happening to others.
"First, I came across this website," says John May, a resident of Marion, with a story that is nearly identical to the thousands of others on the B.B.B.'s site, stating it all started online.
"They've got random pictures of these puppies," says May of the web site his family believed to be real. "Sent it to my wife and she looked it up, and sent (an) email message out to the person and they responded back; and that's kind of where it took off from there."
John and his wife wanted a puppy for their daughter.
"Our daughter, she has some sensory issues, and so we were advised that giving a pet would be very good --beneficial thing for her," explains May.
The couple thought they found the perfect pet for their daughter, a King Charles Spaniel and Poodle mix. They paid $550 for the puppy, $150 for shipping, but before they realized what was going on, they were out more than $2,000.00 as the scammers kept asking for additional payments.
"The next day after we realized that we'd been scammed already, my wife said, 'I just got another email, this time it's wanting insurance, $880 deposit that's fully refundable,'" May says with a slight chuckle, adding that the group works the victim until it's assured the gig is up.
The May's are not alone in our region in getting taken in by a group that plays on the buyers' emotions, first hooking them with the exact puppy, at a comparable-if-not a little less price, and at what first appears to check out.
Pope County Sheriff Jerry Suits says he's dealt with two such cases in his rural community, the only difference in the stories are the breed of the puppies.
Suits spoke with News 3 by phone, he described a situation where the scammer convinced the victim an arrest warrant was on its way to the Pope County office for "animal endangerment."
"She told me, there were several red lights, alerts, in her mind that she would not listen too," says Suits. The Sheriff took over speaking with the scammers by phone, not revealing his true identity, but when no more money was paid out, the phone numbers no longer worked and emails went unanswered.
Suits says the warning are there and are obvious once the victims step back and re-examine the transactions.
They are all a form of cash transactions and some asks victims to purchase Gift Cards from area box stores such as Wal Mart or Target. The group will start the process as expected, then as the puppy is expected to board a flight, they contact the buyer and inform them of additional fees --some they claim are refundable such as a transport cage.
The victims now feel a responsibility for the safety of "their new puppy" and they overlook the questionable cost.
"And that's why I'm here," says May, of telling his story. "I just want to let people know, it can happen, again, the emotion of it, and you get caught up in it, and unfortunately you don't realize it until too late."
Puppy scams are not new, but the Better Business Bureau reports an increase in the U.S. over the past few years, largely targeting young people. In most all cases, once the money is paid out, there is no getting it back.
