Careful customer. South Simcoe police are warning residents to be careful buy pets online After an infill, Ontario, resident reported puppy scam,
Police say an Innisfil woman found an ad for mini goldendoodle puppies on Facebook Marketplace, which led to a website offering the puppies for sale.
The woman said the website appeared legit, so she paid a deposit for a puppy.
According to the police, the woman said that the scammer started asking for additional payment for fees like permits for registration and shipping.
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When more money was demanded, the woman realized that it was a scam and informed the police. Police said she didn’t get her puppy and lost hundreds of dollars.
Police are using the incident to remind residents not to pay for a pet without seeing it first. If the pet cannot be viewed in person, buyers must request a video call. People should never pay with bitcoin, wire transfers or gift cards.
Police encourage people to research the name of the company or seller, and to Google with the words ‘fraud’ or ‘complaint’ to see if there is a fraud alert.
They say people should consider adopting the pet from their local shelter or a local, reputable breeder.
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