Thinking about buying a pet online? It might be a scam

YOUNGSTOWN — Some families obeying stay-at-home orders have turned to the internet to look for a pet, thinking they would have plenty of time to help the pet adjust to its new surroundings.

Many have come across scammers who advertise on websites for animals that do not exist and are never shipped, according to the Better Business Bureau.

A 2017 investigative study by the BBB found that puppy scams are prolific during the holidays, and new data from the BBB Scam Tracker show the scams have spiked during the COVID-19 outbreak. There were more reports about fraudulent pet websites in April than in the first three months of the year combined, the BBB said in a news release.

“Scammers frequently take advantage of the news to find new avenues for targeting victims,” Carol Potter, BBB president and CEO, said in the release. “The uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, along with some quarantined families’ decision to adopt a pet sight unseen, has created fertile ground for fraudsters.”

BBB’s earlier study found that for these types of frauds to be successful, it is usually dependent on bogus, often sophisticated advertisements to hook unsuspecting consumers. Experts believed, at that time, that at least 80 percent of the sponsored advertising links that appear in an internet search for pets may be fraudulent, according to the BBB.

Many victims who contacted BBB’s Scam Tracker reported they wanted to adopt a puppy to ease their isolation and brighten their lives during the pandemic.

Victims were often told they needed to send money for special climate-controlled crates, insurance and a (nonexistent) COVID-19 vaccine. There also were several instances where the consumer wanted to see or pick up the animal but was told that was not possible due to COVID-19 restrictions, according to the BBB.

Tips for avoiding puppy scams:

• Do not buy a pet without seeing it in person. If that is not possible, conduct an internet search of the picture of the pet you are considering. If the same picture appears on multiple websites, it is likely a fraud. You also can search for text from ads or testimonials to see if the seller copied it from another website.
• Do not send money by Western Union, MoneyGram, a cash app like Zelle or a gift card. These payment methods offer no recourse and no way to get your money back if you are the victim of fraud. Fraudsters may claim to accept credit cards but may steal your credit card information to use it in other scams or inform you that payment didn’t go through and request the payment via wire service or gift cards.
• Research prices for the breed you are interested in adopting. If a purebred dog is advertised for free or at a deeply discounted price, and then other payment is required for services like vaccination or shipping, it could be a fraudulent offer.
• Consider reaching out to a local animal shelter. Especially during this time of quarantine, many shelters are looking for fosters to help relieve the animal's stress and reduce overcrowding at their facilities. The Humane Society of the United States refers consumers to local shelters.
• If you think you have been scammed, report it to BBB Scam Tracker and the Federal Trade Commission. You also can report it to petscams.com, which catalogs puppy scammers, tracks complaints and works to get fraudulent pet sales websites taken down.

This story was originally published May 14, 2020 at 4:45 AM with the headline "Thinking about buying a pet online? It might be a scam."