[Michele]

Internet puppy rip-off

by Staten Island Advance Sunday October 14, 2007, 11:20 PM


Josephine Cruz loves dogs.
The Fort Wadsworth resident never had one growing up because her mother didn't want pets in the house.



Staten Island Advance/Chad RachmanJosephine Cruz discusses being ripped off in an Internet puppy scam.

But now with her own apartment on Staten Island, the Brooklyn native was about to get the pets of her dreams -- cute, cuddly, white-furred male and female English bulldogs -- or so she thought.
Instead, the 22-year-old executive assistant for a Manhattan computer firm fears she's been scammed of $400 by two people she's never seen or spoken to, who each advertised a dog online.
Ms. Cruz wired $250 for the male to Memphis, Tenn., and $150 for the female to Victoria Island in Lagos, Nigeria, after negotiating down the asking prices by hundreds of dollars.
The sellers have each refused to send her the animals, because Ms. Cruz declined to pay additional fees she says were actually included in the original costs.
It's unclear whether the sellers, with whom Ms. Cruz has corresponded solely by e-mail, are related to each other. One claimed to be a missionary in Africa.
"I'm a positive person. I just felt people would treat me right," Mrs. Cruz, a dark-haired woman with a ready smile, said in an interview in her apartment. "But they're lying. They're trying to get more money out of me."
The advertisements were no longer on the Web site, although the male dog's photo had still been posted last week.
SHE'S NOT ALONE
The bottom line: Ms. Cruz was just the latest victim of an Internet puppy scam.
"This is certainly not the only scam to be aware of, but it is a common one," says American Kennel Club spokesperson Lisa Peterson. "Because of the emotional investment, consumers are more vulnerable to being taken advantage of when it comes to a cute cuddly puppy than with any other purchase. A dog is a major investment -- a living, breathing being who will rely on you for 10 years or more. Take time to educate yourself on the hallmarks of a legitimate and responsible breeder."
Ms. Cruz said she's loved dogs for as long as she can remember, but never owned one, because her mother isn't fond of pets.
After moving to Staten Island, she considered getting a dog for companionship and play. Her first thought was to get one from an animal shelter, but she changed her mind about three weeks ago. That's when she saw a male and a female bulldog advertised in the classified section of the silive.com Web site.
The male, a little guy with a scrunchy face, was sitting in a grass field. The female's photo was just as fetching. Ms. Cruz fell in love. She simultaneously e-mailed the sellers.
QUICK AGREEMENT
The asking price for the male was $600, yet when Ms. Cruz said she could only afford $250, the seller quickly accepted the offer.
It was a similar scenario with the female's seller. She readily took Ms. Cruz's offer of $150, despite advertising the dog for $350.
According to e-mails Ms. Cruz showed the Advance, each seller said the costs would include vaccinations, a shipping crate and other incidentals.
Ms. Cruz was told to wire the money to the respective sellers -- one out of state; the other out of the country.
She said her suspicions weren't aroused by the sellers' willingness to slash their asking prices by $200 and more, their insistence on cash payment or the fact that one seller wanted the money sent to Africa.
"If I would have had any weird feeling, I wouldn't have gone through with it," she said.

But days later, Ms. Cruz smelled doggie doo, when each seller demanded more money for rabies shots and shipping crates. The male's seller wanted an extra $150; an agent for the female's seller told her to pony up another $400, according to their e-mails.
Ms. Cruz refused to send the extra cash and each seller rebuffed her request for a telephone number to discuss the matter. The female's seller e-mailed she was doing missionary work in Africa and was too busy to answer the phone.
Neither seller returned Ms. Cruz's money, despite her repeated requests. The male's seller denied he was scamming her, when she posed that question.
E-MAIL RESPONSES
In response to e-mails from the Advance, the male's seller said Ms. Cruz would have to wait 30 days. He said her money would be returned before then if the dog was sold to someone else.
That seller, however, did not respond to a follow-up e-mail from the Advance asking why Ms. Cruz would have to wait a month for her money.
The female's seller said a refund was not possible because the dog's flight to Newark Liberty International Airport was already booked. Yet, at the same time, she said the dog would not be shipped until Ms. Cruz sends the extra money -- which she refuses to do.
The seller did not answer a follow-up e-mail specifically asking why Ms. Cruz could not get a refund since she no longer wanted the dog.
Ms. Cruz called the sellers' responses "ridiculous."
She said she's pretty much lost hope of getting back her money. As for buying a dog, she said she'll make sure from now on she lays eyes on the animal before laying out any cash.
"I'll never go through this again," she vowed.
--- Contributed by Frank Donnelly

The American Kennel Club and Better Business Bureau offer the following advice:

Do your research.
Ask if the breeder is a member of an AKC-affiliated club and contact that club to verify membership or check recent listings of available AKC Litters from breeders at: www.akc.org/classified/index.cfm. You can also check with the BBB (www.bbb.org) and the AKC (919-233-9767) to see if there are any complaints about the breeder. Request references and speak to other people who have purchased dogs from this breeder--especially if the breeder does not live near you.

Beware of breeders who seem overly concerned with getting paid.
Any reputable breeder will be far more concerned with the appropriateness of the potential pet home than what and when they are getting paid. Make sure you have clear expectations - ideally in writing - of how and when the pup will be paid for. Be especially wary of any breeder who insists that you wire money and who calls to ask for more money to be wired to cover last minute shipping fees.

Don't be fooled by a slick web site.
Unscrupulous breeders and even outright scams can be represented by professional-looking web sites that lure you in with fraudulent pictures of adorable puppies. At the very least speak with the breeder on the telephone and ideally meet the breeder, the puppy and the dam in person. If you locate a breeder online, never send money without checking their references and credentials first. The AKC recommends that you first contact the national organization for the breed (Parent Club). It is essential to visit the breeder at their home to see the entire litter and the care and conditions given to the puppies prior to purchasing.

Take your time.

Beware of breeders who claim to have multiple breeds ready to ship immediately. It's highly unlikely that your perfect puppy will be available for shipping on the very day you call. Gestation and socialization of a litter takes months -- no puppy should be separated from the dam before 8 weeks of age.

http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf...py_ripoff.html