St. Thomas police have issued a warning after a mother and daughter were scammed of nearly $7,000 in what police call a “puppy scam.”
In a statement, officials say it usually begins with an online search for a specific breed, which in this case was a cavapoo.
The potential buyer found a website that appeared to offer such puppies at a reasonable price, police say.
Thinking they were about to get the puppy of their dreams, the family e-transferred the first of what would become many payments.
But each day that went by, the victims would receive a new demand for money by fraudsters posing as shipping companies.
Several fake tracking statements were sent to the family along with additional demands for money.
Police say the expenses were presented as necessary to continue the puppy’s journey towards its adoptive family to cover things like immunizations, storage fees and puppy maintenance.
In the end, the family was scammed of thousands of dollars, and never received the puppy.
Police are asking the public to be cautious when purchasing anything online as fake websites and emails can be created and deleted very quickly.
Information on how to look for red flags can be found online.