OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Linda Albrecht has had the unpleasant experience of telling six couples who thought they had bought a puppy that they have been scammed.
The unsuspecting buyers showed up at Albrecht’s house in the Omaha suburb of Gretna because the scammers had used her address on a fake kennel website. She said some couples travelled all the way from Wisconsin, Minnesota and Missouri to pick up a puppy.
“They get here all excited about picking up a puppy and go home without one,” Albrecht said.
The Better Business Bureau’s Omaha office said a number of puppy scams have been reported using Nebraska addresses, President Jim Hegarty said.
The Better Business Bureau said one person from Texas reported losing more than $5,000 after paying a deposit for an Akita puppy from a fake Nebraska kennel.
Hegarty said his organization recommends meeting a puppy in person before paying, and he said buyers should watch out for deal that appear to be too good to be true if a dog is selling for significantly less than that breed normally would. Prospective puppy buyers should also search online to see if the same image of a pet is used on multiple sites because that might reveal a scam.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.