BBB of Western Michigan warns consumers of puppy-related scams

KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – The Better Business Bureau (BBB) Serving Western Michigan is warning residents to be aware of scams involving sales of puppies, which are said to be costing victims thousands of dollars.

Pets and pet supplies were among the riskiest sales categories when it came to online purchase scams, according to the 2020 BBB Scam Tracker Risk Report, and it continues to be one of the most common scams reported in 2021.

Earlier this year, officials say a Muskegon woman thought she found the perfect addition to her family. She was contacted by a scammer posing as a shipping service to deliver her puppy.

The scammer continued to ask for money to cover puppy insurance, quarantine services, vaccines, housing, a puppy passport and a city permit. All of the money needed to be sent through Zelle.

The woman was promised the payments would be refunded when the puppy arrived. However, the animal was never delivered, and the woman lost more than $5,300 in the scheme.

“If you can’t physically see the animal, don’t buy it. It is a scam.” President and CEO of the BBB Serving Western Michigan Phil Catlett said. “Many victims tell us they are more impacted by the emotional toll of not getting the pet than they are the money that was taken.”

• Don’t buy a pet without seeing it in person before you pay.
• Do a reverse image search of the picture of the pet you are considering. If the same picture appears on multiple websites, you may be dealing with a fraud. You can also search the text from ads or testimonials to see if the seller copied it from another site

• Report it to  BBB’s Scam Tracker
• Report it to Petscams.com
• Report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Call 1-877-FTC-HELP
• If you sent money through Western Union, MoneyGram or a Green Dot MoneyPak, contact those companies directly for information about the transactions. They also download their complaints into the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel database, which police around the country can access.
  • Green Dot 800-795-7597
  • Western Union 1-800-448-1492
  • MoneyGram 1-800-926-9400

More information on scams can be found here.