Beware the puppy scam | Taranaki News | Local News in Taranaki

WHEN Colin Lynch of Eltham read a small classified ad in the Stratford Press recently, offering two Yorkshire terrier puppies for adoption, he was very interested.
He replied to the email address given and found himself tied up in an obvious overseas scam, one whereby people sent the scammers money overseas, about $500US to pay shipping costs (for a start) for fictional ‘free’ pets.
Colin soon cottoned on something was wrong before he sent any money.
A series of emails came from the “Reverend Tom Jones’ pretending to be a missionary who had gone to Africa who was looking for a good home for ‘his babies.”
Written in bad English, the emotive emails contained photos of the puppies, downloaded from an authentic terrier web site, and instructions how to send the money.
Colin checked around and found a web site that exposed the scam, which operates from Cameroon, Africa.
It said “In the Cameroon pet scam, ‘sellers’ list dozens of photos of puppies which are “free for adoption” or for sale at drastically low prices.
The story can vary as to why the animal is free or discounted — the current owner is a missionary who needs to find the puppy a new home due to the terrible weather in its current location; the animal was rescued from a natural disaster and needs a good home; owner’s busy work schedule, etc. etc.
The scammer will ask interested buyers to pay the dog’s shipping costs to a fake “pet shipping company” in Cameroon Africa. The victims wire money for the dogs but only get excuses for the delay.
Instead, they’re repeatedly asked for more money to cover additional “fees” invented by the scammer.
You can identify these pet scammers because they will ask you to pay by money order or wire transfer. Never wire funds via Western Union, MoneyGram or any other wire service — anyone who asks you to do so is a scammer.”
The Press has pulled the ads from the paper, but wonder how many other papers are running them and how many people are being duped by the scam.
It’s the old story – If something appears too good to be true, it is too good to be true!