Greg's Corner

Veteran taken advantage of in puppy scam

By Greg Collier

A couple from Columbus, Ohio, wanted to get a puppy as an emotional support animal. The husband is a legally blind veteran, who wanted a Siberian Husky to keep him company and provide emotional support when his wife wasn’t home.

The couple shopped for a puppy online and thought they found the perfect one for sale from an Oklahoma breeder. The breeder’s asking price was $850. Husky puppies typically vary in price from $800 to $2500. Then the couple was directed to a shipping company to arrange delivery of the puppy.

The delivery company asked for an additional $750 that would be refundable when the couple picked up the puppy at the airport. Then the delivery company started asking the couple for more money. The news report we saw didn’t say what the additional money was for. However, in most puppy scams like this, the scammers will tell their victims more money is needed for things like vaccines, a special travel crate, insurance, and other fictitious fees.

When the couple could no longer afford to pay any more money, the delivery company would call them and pressure them to borrow money from friends and family. Once scammers find a victim who is willing to pay them, it’s not unheard of for the scammers to attempt to get more money out of their victims.

By the time it was all over, the couple had sent the scammers $3000, which has had a serious negative impact on their mental health. That’s a detail that is often overlooked in stories like these.

If you’re looking to add a puppy to your family, you might want to avoid shopping for one online. Scammers often set up legitimate looking websites with images stolen from other places on the internet. If you insist on shopping online, do a reverse image search to make sure pictures of the puppies weren’t taken from somewhere else. Also do a WHOIS search on the website’s domain name. If it was recently registered, that could be a good indicator of a scammer.

We recommend only using a breeder who is within a day’s driving distance round-trip. But before leaving, check with the Better Business Bureau to see if the breeder has had any complaints.

However, our true wish is that you consider adopting from your local shelter. Typically, puppies can be obtained from shelters at little to no expense.