Pet Scams Surge During Pandemic Christmas

My sweet little Olive was the best Christmas present I have ever received. I was on a mission to get a pet when I was 19 and in 2010 I received my little bundle of joy. It's a wonderful feeling bringing a dog home. Everyone should experience the magic of it all. However several people have fallen victim to puppy and kitten scams. What they think will be a very happy homecoming turns into a horrid nightmare with hundreds and in some cases thousands of dollars missing from their accounts.

My dog is a Shorkie so I am a member of some Facebook pages that focus on Shrokies. I have seen so many people on the Shorkie page have their hearts broken because they were scammed by a "puppy breeder". What's crazy is I am seeing a rise in puppy scams. It's not just me that noticed puppy scams, the BBB is warning Americans that puppy scams are on the rise.

Turns out many Americans feel that with the pandemic making them spend more time at home, they now have time to spend time training a new puppy or kitten. So of course, many Americans are searching for a new furry family member. According to the BBB "With this rising demand has come a spike in pet scams, in which an online search ends with a would-be pet owner paying hundreds of dollars or more to purchase a pet that ultimately doesn’t exist. Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises extreme caution when shopping for a pet online, especially in light of scammers’ evolving tactics."

The numbers that the BBB provided are scary. Did you know the average American is being scammed out of $750 when trying to purchase a new pet? Those from the ages of 35 to 55 accounted for half of the scams.

Some things you can do to make sure you're not being scammed is meet the pet before putting down a deposit, and if you can't see the puppy in person ask for a Facetime or Zoom video.

You can also choose to adopt instead of shopping. We have so many wonderful organizations here in town that are eager to help pets in their facilities find their forever homes.