GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – The Better Business Bureau is putting people on alert about online pet scams. They said this follows multiple reports of residents losing hundreds to thousands of dollars in the crimes.
Representatives of The Upstate Better business Bureau said one victim in Greenville County lost $750 in a scam back in April. According to the BBB, the person was trying to buy a pet they thought was coming from North Dakota.
Upstate Better Business Bureau President and CEO Hunter Jones told 7NEWS many scammers are creating fake listings with photos of pets they steal from other social media users. He said they then pay for sponsored ads to lure victims.
“Typical red flags of a scam may be that the price is too good to be true. So, if the puppy is typically running for $1,000, and you see that puppy on sale for $150, that’s a red flag,” Jones explained.
According to the BBB, 80% of all sponsored pet ads people see online could be fake. Jones said the scammers often ask customers to pay for things like vaccinations and transport and make excuses for why they can’t deliver.
“Then typically they get their money by saying, ‘We need extra fees for travel’, ‘We need extra fees because this dog can’t travel on an airplane because they don’t have the right vaccinations.’ Those are the types of wording that a scammer will use,” Jones said.
Jones encouraged prospective buyers to do a reverse image search of the photos in the listings to minimize the risk of being scammed. He also advised checking to see if other customers have experience with the seller.
