Cost is shipping only: Free, purebred dog scam resurfaces
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
Published: March 24, 2010
A scam that’s been around for years that involves newspapers large and small has resurfaced, including in Santa Paula, where scammers were hoping people would find the offer of free purebred dogs too good to pass up.
In early March two advertisements appeared in the classified ads section of the Santa Paula Times offering free dogs. According to Suzi Skutley of the Times, one ad offered two AKC-registered teacup Yorkshire terriers. The contact person urged those interested in the dogs to contact him via an e-mail address. A second ad offered English bulldog puppies and the contact - who gave the newspaper a Santa Paula address and phone number - asked that those interested in the dogs contact him via email.
One of the newspaper’s subscriber’s was interested in the dogs and sent an e-mail to the listed contact. The answer back was that the dogs belong to an American preacher acting as a missionary in Africa; all the interested party had to do was pay shipping and the dogs would be sent to them.
Meanwhile, when the contact information used for the teacup Yorkies advertisement was found to be incorrect, Diane Ramos of the Santa Paula Times sent an e-mail to the person listed in the ad and asked for an explanation.
“She got a missive back,” said Skutley, that told the same story about the dogs belonging to a missionary in Africa that could be hers just for the price of shipping. Skutley said the scam was made even more obvious by the short shipping time quoted in the e-mail.
To further complicate matters, a woman called the newspaper office, claimed the charge for one of the advertisements had fraudulently been made on her company credit card, and asked that the refund be sent to her directly, not standard operating procedures. In addition, Skutley said, when the woman gave her name and its spelling, the common monikers had little relation to the spelling of same.
The free dogs scam from an Africa-based American pastor is an old one: victims of the scam have reported they paid upfront money for shipping and then were told the dog or dogs had become sick and veterinarian bills had to be paid before the dog could be released. Another reported variation of the scam is the dog is shipped, but the plane crashes, injuring the animal or animals, and more funds are needed for hospitalization and treatment.
Many such scams originate out of the country and are impossible to prosecute. Needless to say, any funds sent by the victim are never recovered. The old adage, “If it seems to good to be true, it almost always is,” continues to be good advice.
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