Del. Police Warning Residents About Local 'Puppy Scam'
DOVER, Del. (CBS) -- Police in Delaware are warning area residents about a scam involving puppies.
On Thursday, Dover Police released an alert that ads were posted on websites like Craigslist claiming that the owner of several puppies is on a church mission to another country and cannot take care of the dogs any longer.
The scammer claims the puppies are free, but they ask to split the shipping costs with the victim. The suspect even sends a fraudulent shipping label to make the post appear legitimate and requests a wire transfer of funds for the shipment of the animals.
In a second variation of the scam, a person claims to have puppies for sale locally. Often, that person even establishes a website displaying photos of the "dogs for sale," along with a local address and phone number.
Once the victim decides to purchase a dog, the scam artist requests a wire transfer deposit to hold the dog until it's ready to be picked up.
Within the last week, a woman from New York reportedly lost $949 to the scam, thinking she would be traveling to Dover, Delaware to pick up a new puppy.
Police are reminding area residents to be alert and never to send money over the phone or via wire transfer without establishing whether or not the situation is legitimate.
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