tisamystery Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 From the SMH today - can't believe people think this is a way to purchase a dog! Aussie dog lovers duped by web scammers July 31, 2009 - 9:39AM Animal lovers are being duped by internet scammers who promise to deliver cute puppies to their homes. Prospective puppy owners have paid for the animals via money transfer on the internet, NSW Fair Trading minister Linda Burney says, but the puppies do not exist. "The ads usually offer registered puppies and include health certificates and micro-chipping for a `too-good-to-be-true' price," she said in a statement on Friday. The seller's purported location varies from overseas to an Australian address. Ms Burney said it was impossible to import an animal from overseas into Australia in a few weeks, as quarantine procedures needed to be followed. Her warning follows a Port Macquarie man's ill-fated attempt to buy a bulldog puppy for his children online earlier this month. Evan Ross was about to pay a $150 fee by money transfer when his suspicion was raised by the Cameroon, Africa address of the organisation, Port Macquarie News reported. When Mr Ross attempted to call the company he found it didn't exist. The scammers reportedly told him his dog was waiting at Brisbane Airport, but when he called the airport there was no record of the canine. Ms Burney said any arrangement asking for up-front payment by cash, money order or money transfer should be avoided. "Don't provide bank account details, credit card numbers or other personal details to businesses you do not completely trust," she said. "Always get professional advice when buying pets online so you know exactly what you are buying." If consumers are hit by a scam, they should call Fair Trading on 13 32 20. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irl Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 home delivered pups , just like ordering a pizza. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatelina Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 *sigh* Instant gratification society... And they're not living creatures....they're JUST dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puggy_puggy Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 (edited) Stupid people get conned and will continue to do so. Are they really 'dog lovers' when they haven't taken the time to visit the breeder or do enough research to discover it's a scam? Edited July 31, 2009 by puggy_puggy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 well there is the lesson for ordering a DOG off the internet some people get what they deserve .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeckoTree Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 ................. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boronia Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 I think that people really do have to be more aware. There is an on-line selling site that constantly have "cutie westie puppy ready for a new home now - $400/English Bulldog Puppy (home, crate and potty trained )- $200/Akc Dachshund For Free Adoption/Cute adorable golden retriever puppy for a new home/registered english bulldog for christmas - $300" If it really sounds too good to be true........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Danni Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 (edited) Der! A fool and his money are soon parted! Edited December 6, 2011 by Miss Danni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talien Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 If these people really wanted a companion and friend, or even just a healthy puppy, they would look into buying in person, be that from a breeder, the pound, or even from an oops litter. Buying online... even though it's a scam it still makes me ill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raz Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 I loathe and detest scammers with a passion but I cant say I have any sort of empathy for dickheads who get ripped off over the net these days. There's more than enough info for people to be aware this sort of crap happens. Nigerians get 4 billion dollars a year out of Americans alone so god knows how much dumb Australians are losing and this sort of thing shits me to tears because our taxes are going towards this garbage to try to recoup money for really stoooopid people who get sucked in on a daily basis. Buyer Beware and all that stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest donatella Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 I could post links right now of scammers that continue to post ads. when I started looking for Poms there are loads of fake ads pretending to be registered breeders selling pups for dirt cheap prices. I even had a few email exchanges with one but clicked on immediately as it seemed "to good to be true". Unfortunately there are a lot of little old folk who know no better and get ripped into these scams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskedaway Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 It is worrying though that a lot of actual registered breeders could be hurt by these scams too. A lot of breeders communicate with puppy buyers online, if they're interstate you may never get to meet your puppy before it comes home. So people will start being wary of the good breeders too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minimiss Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 A lot of these scammers are from Africa (More specifically Cameroon) - Similar to those e-mails that inform you that you're a long lost 300th removed cousin of the dying king who wishes to give you 1 trillion dollars. There are a few articles elsewhere about these types of scammers. A lot say they're in Australia, then say they're in Africa for work and then ask that the money be wired via Western Union (Untraceable). Watch for poorly written English, photos that are 'too cute'. Usually, if you right click and check the properties of the images or save the images, they'll come up with a file name. Usually you can search the file name in google and it'll come up with the original advert - the non scam (They've just stolen the pic). Scammers aren't usually to smart to change the file name as they aren't aware that saving the image allows for the file name prior to being uploaded comes through once downloaded from a site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 If only someone could design a such a scam so that it only catches people who shouldn't own a dog anyway :D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loopy Lola Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 If only someone could design a such a scam so that it only catches people who shouldn't own a dog anyway :D. Now I like that idea :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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