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Vendaval -> "Another doggone scam" (5/29/2007 4:52:52 PM)
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(click on the link at the bottom for details)
"Another doggone scam" "Groups say to be wary of any ad or site that, for free or for a bargain, promises adorable puppies --
the new face of the old Nigerian money scheme." By David Colker, Times Staff Writer
May 29, 2007
" And now for the latest scam from Nigeria — puppies.
The Council of Better Business Bureaus Inc. and the American Kennel Club today plan to issue a warning about fraudulent websites, MySpace postings and print ads asking people to help save puppies who are in desperate straits.
The sites and ads usually show adorable puppies that somehow have become stuck in Nigeria or other countries, and are offered free to new owners. A variation is to offer the puppies, such as purebred English bulldogs — a particularly expensive breed — at vastly discounted prices.
But free or not, people who had responded to the ads eventually were asked to send hundreds of dollars to cover such costs as shipping, customs, taxes and inoculations on an ever-escalating scale.
Some reported paying fees totaling more than $1,500.
"It's like the Nigerian advance-fee scams we've been seeing for years, except with the face of a puppy," said Steve Cox, a council vice president.
No matter how much was paid, no puppies arrived. Even the pictures — showing sad-eyed puppies with folds of skin so loose it looked as if they were wearing bunched-up sweaters — probably were fraudulent, mostly lifted from legitimate websites of unwitting owners.
Which leads to the only good news about the situation. "When people hear about these scams involving pups they get so upset for the poor dogs," said Alison Preszler, a council spokeswoman. "But at least I can say to them, 'There are no real puppies involved. It's all a fake.' "
The problem is real and growing, however. In the last couple of months, local bureaus across the country increasingly have been getting complaints, Cox said.
In April, a New York woman was charged with grand larceny, accused of collecting payments for English bulldog puppies she was advertising for sale online and then failing to deliver. The woman allegedly told local investigators that she shared the proceeds with a Nigerian accomplice.
There are several variations of the scheme. "
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-puppyscam29may29,1,5628185.story?coll=la-default-underdog&ctrack=1&cset=true
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