A Valley woman thought she found her perfect furry companion through a social media site, only to find out it was all a scam in the end.
Scammers often use stolen photos from legitimate breeders to lure people — and that’s what happened to Tracy M. It’s a doggone shame what happened to this woman and so many others who are duped in puppy scams.
She reached out to the Let ABC15 Know team to help alert others.
Tracy said, after she lost her beloved pet, Sushi, she thought it was a good time to find a new puppy to fill the void.
“So, I was going on Facebook, and I saw the puppy thing and I said, 'this is pretty cool,'” said Tracy. “He was offering a puppy for like $700. It was a teacup Yorkie.“
Tracy reached out to the seller, and she thought they were legit.
“He never gave me any reason to suspect that I was being scammed.”
Tracy said the seller sent her pictures of a puppy, told her it came with an American Kennel Club certification, and asked her not to breed the dog because they were worried about puppy mills. Tracy claimed the scammer said her $350 deposit would cover veterinary expenses.
“He did text me that night and said the vet check went well, and we’ll see you on Sunday at 2 p.m.”
But when it was time to receive her new pup, the seller ghosted Tracy and all communication stopped.
“Everything was fake right down the line. I just didn’t see it coming.”
Tracy was heartbroken. She just wanted to have a small companion by her side.
She’s not alone. In 2023, Americans lost more than $1 million in puppy scams.
“It’s not so much about the money anymore. It’s the point that I got scammed and it can happen to anybody,” said Tracy.
Tracy used Zelle to pay thinking it was safe, thieves are using pay apps to steal your hard-earned money.
Zelle transactions are instant and irreversible, once you send it, it’s hard to get it back.
Tracy put down her $350 through Zelle. “Immediately my phone and husband’s phone went off for the fraud department of bank, which I’m totally glad,” explained Tracy.
Tracy said she called her bank to verify. Tracy said, “I had her check the account and she said, ‘everything is fine, there doesn’t seem to be any scam here, you’re ok to send it.’”
But Tracy never received her puppy. The seller took her money, blocked her online and cut off all communication. “Most of the time you don’t get your Zelle back because it’s like giving cash, which I thought it was going to be the safest thing,” explained Tracy.
The Let ABC15 Know team stepped in to help. We reached out to Tracy’s bank, and we were able to get her money back, but that’s not always the case for thousands who have been duped on payment app platforms.
Tracy added, “I see people that get scammed, I thought that would never happen to me because I think I’m more aware.”
In August, there was a senate hearing to discuss if banks, that offer Zelle are doing enough to protect their customers from scammers. Those who unknowingly send authorized payments to scammers are rarely reimbursed based on the law.
Only unauthorized payments and use are covered for reimbursement; however, a proposed bill would fill in the loopholes in existing laws and give more protection to consumers who are defrauded into making authorized payments.
Lawmakers against the bill say it’s not the bank’s fault, it’s the criminal’s fault. They argue the law, if passed, could force bank institutions to hand down more fees to customers.
Let ABC15 Know reached out to Zelle for comment.
Early Warning Services is the owner of Zelle. Early Warning Services spokesperson, Eric Blankenbaker, released the following statement saying, “ We recognize the concerns some consumers have about scams. Unfortunately, changing the laws to require reimbursement of consumer authorized transactions does not address the root problem and would do nothing to reduce scams attempted against the American consumer. In fact, changes of this nature would only incentive more bad actors to attempt even more scams. We believe a better approach to solving this problem is to focus on the criminals trying to coerce hardworking Americans into sending money, and that government, law enforcement and private industry need to come together to prevent these crimes from happening in the first place.”
Here are a few ways to protect yourself from puppy scams:
- Try your local animal shelter. There are thousands of animals that need a forever home that you can adopt. You can visit with the animals and the adoption process is relatively easy. It takes the stress out of wondering if you’re dealing with a fraudster.
- Check the puppy photos. Make sure the photos are not taken from another puppy site. You can do a reverse image search to see if the photos pop up somewhere else. If the photos appear on other sites, that’s a red flag.
- Ask plenty of questions. Ask the seller if can you visit the dog. Can you video chat with the puppy? Ask the seller if they can take a picture with the dog, and in the photo, they hold a piece of paper with your name and the day’s date on it. It’s likely harder to fake that photo.
- Avoid paying strangers using third-party app platforms, like Cash App, Venmo, or Zelle. The transactions for most of these platforms are instant and irreversible, making it harder to get your money back. Credit card or PayPal Goods or Services are safer options.
