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Buyers Beware!
If you are going to purchase a new dog or puppy online, you will need to keep
your guard up. It's very easy to see great pictures of adorable purebred
puppies and feel confident that you are dealing with a reputable business, but
the simple fact is that there are a number of unscrupulous people who are out
to scam you. In fact, they will purposely create a website that looks
legitimate in order to take your money and leave you without your new pet!
The Scam in Operation
What scammers will do, is first copy the photos of purebred puppies from
reputable dog breeders. Sometimes, the scammers may copy an entire website.
They will collect as many photos as they can find, and add fictitious names to
the puppies' pictures. They will communicate with you and you will be convinced
that you are dealing with a reputable company. However, when they ask you to
send money for your new pet, they will often suggest, or require, that you send
money through Western Union or a Money Gram. This is the heart of the scam and
how they steal your money. Never, under any circumstances, purchase a puppy by
paying for it through Western Union or a Money Gram. Scammers use these money
methods due to the fact that they can pick up money without having adequate
identification of who they are. This propels their scam further and lowers the
chance that they will be caught. If you are dealing with a reputable company,
they will not require that you pay through Western Union or a Money Gram.
Prevent Yourself from Being Scammed
The best way to prevent yourself from being scammed is to do your research. If
a company wants to communicate with you only through email that is a sign that
they are not a legitimate company. You should be able to communicate with the
company via the telephone as well. Scammers create fake email addresses that
are not linked to real businesses. Once they have taken your money, the email
communication stops. If you don't have a phone number to contact, you have no
way of finding out who you sent money to.
Under no circumstance should you pay for a puppy via Western Union or Money
Gram or any other fast money transaction handler. If the breeder (or scam
artist) asks for a deposit to be sent through Western Union or Money Gram, you
should recognize that this is a scam. Also, ask for references. The company
that you are dealing with should be able to provide you with real phone numbers
to real customers who have purchased puppies from their business in the past.
Scam artists may be creative, so make sure you get several references and
contact them.
You can also tell a lot about a business from their website. Scam artists may
not use a website. They may target people solely through classified ads. Never
agree to purchase a puppy and send money Western Union or Money Gram in
response to a classified ad. Also, since scam artists may create fake websites,
you can use the Who Is feature, to find out the business owner's name that is
associated with the website. By typing in the website's URL address at:
http://www.who.is, the results will show you who owns the website. By using
this information, you can help determine if you are dealing with a reputable
company or a scam artist.
By using these tips wisely, you can ensure that you won't become a victim of a
scam and that when you purchase your perfect purebred puppy, that he or she
will be delivered to your home.
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