Possible GSD puppy scammer...

draggar · 08-25-2010, 02:00 PM

It's been a while since I posted but recent events made me decide to give people a heads up since there are a lot of breeders here.

We have a litter on the ground now (almost 10 weeks old) and my wife got a communication from someone in Indiana who is hard of hearing (the call went though a relay service). My wife emailed him the questionare / application and he was supposed to get back to us. He didn't and my wif figured that it was someone testing the grounds and decided against it.

Today she received a check for over $1,000 over our asking price (red flag anyone?) with a note stating they would send a courrier to pick up the puppy. The check came from California and I haven't been able to find the "company" it is from.

My wife asked the person about it and he quickly got into the "you need to stand by your contract" threats (you know, the typical threats most scammers make when they feel that someone is close to catching on).

She isn't going to cash the check (good) and has contacted the police over the matter.

The red flags were the difference in locations (yes, some charaties will pay for service dogs but we can't find this company) and the courrier (we don't know who is picking it up so we're not going to give it to just anyone - we'd take it to the airport if it needed to be shipped). Also, paying $1,000 (more like $1,500) more than asking price? Shipping (domestic) for a puppy is usually $300-$500 tops (and we've shipped a few before and I think the most we paid was in the high $300 range).

At least my wife caught on early enough to know something was up. I'm posting it here to let people know. If I get more details, I'll post them but I don't want to post too many due to the impending police investigation.

Stosh · 08-25-2010, 02:33 PM

That whole thing sounds really odd- hope someone figures out what's going on

GSDAlphaMom · 08-25-2010, 02:39 PM

Yes total scam. Anytime they use a relay service it's because they don't speak good english (or not at all) and usually from another country and they don't want you to know it.

draggar · 08-25-2010, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GSDAlphaMom

Yes total scam. Anytime they use a relay service it's because they don't speak good english (or not at all) and usually from another country and they don't want you to know it.

I didn't think of that and it fitz in with them trying to use their own courrier.

draggar · 08-25-2010, 03:05 PM

I can't edit moy post? Huh.

Well, my wife didn't tell me why he sent such a large check.

He wanted her to send him the difference though Western Union and the puppy though the courrier.

Um, no. heck no.

We'll find her a different home, preferably locally because she is beautiful and fearless, which the breed could use a dam like this.

Lucy Dog · 08-25-2010, 03:07 PM

All the effort these people put into their scams... you'd think it be easier to just go out and get a legitimate job and earn the money like a normal person.

draggar · 08-25-2010, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lucy Dog

All the effort these people put into their scams... you'd think it be easier to just go out and get a legitimate job and earn the money like a normal person.

Not if you live in a country where scamming Americans is not enforced.

selzer · 08-25-2010, 04:19 PM

This guy calls me every single time I have a litter. He uses a service because he is deaf. I tell him I do not ship puppies. I usually have to say it many times because he insists that the courier will pick up the puppy. I insist that I do not ship puppies even through couriers. Finally he gives up. It is a scam I am sure. They want you to send the balance on with the courier I think and my guess is they then stop payment somehow. Not sure what they do with the puppies.

It is weird, they never ask what color or anything about the sire or dam. My guess is they are simply trying to separate us from our money. I posted about it a couple of years ago. Good to have a reminder though.

Hope you get it all settled.

**Chris Wild** · 08-25-2010, 04:24 PM

Had one of those calls years ago, supposedly deaf person using a calling service. Seemed very fishy, and when there was talk of couriers and no inquiry about the pups other than how much and where to send the check, and no answer to any questions... I think I hung up in less than 2 minutes. I'm sure a scam, and apparently not a new one.

Stosh · 08-25-2010, 05:04 PM

My mom almost ended up on the other end of this kind of scam. She found a puppy online at one of the breeders' sites. She emailed, a woman called her back but my mom was never able to get a call to go through to the number she gave. My mom was to pay the $500 deposit with PayPal, which she did, then received a call from a deaf man who said she should send the rest of the money Western Union to an address in...you guessed it...Nigeria. He said that he was donating the money to a new gsd breeder there that was needing money to feed his dogs and she would be doing so much good with that money since she obviously loved dogs, bs, bs... Fortunately, PayPal blocked the transaction because they knew it was a scam and they never allow payments for animals.

08-25-2010, 02:00 PM	#1 (permalink)
draggar Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: South Florida Posts: 80	Possible GSD puppy scammer... It's been a while since I posted but recent events made me decide to give people a heads up since there are a lot of breeders here. We have a litter on the ground now (almost 10 weeks old) and my wife got a communication from someone in Indiana who is hard of hearing (the call went though a relay service). My wife emailed him the questionare / application and he was supposed to get back to us. He didn't and my wif figured that it was someone testing the grounds and decided against it. Today she received a check for over $1,000 over our asking price (red flag anyone?) with a note stating they would send a courrier to pick up the puppy. The check came from California and I haven't been able to find the "company" it is from. My wife asked the person about it and he quickly got into the "you need to stand by your contract" threats (you know, the typical threats most scammers make when they feel that someone is close to catching on). She isn't going to cash the check (good) and has contacted the police over the matter. The red flags were the difference in locations (yes, some charaties will pay for service dogs but we can't find this company) and the courrier (we don't know who is picking it up so we're not going to give it to just anyone - we'd take it to the airport if it needed to be shipped). Also, paying $1,000 (more like $1,500) more than asking price? Shipping (domestic) for a puppy is usually $300-$500 tops (and we've shipped a few before and I think the most we paid was in the high $300 range). At least my wife caught on early enough to know something was up. I'm posting it here to let people know. If I get more details, I'll post them but I don't want to post too many due to the impending police investigation. __________________ DOTE Club - competitive training in Broward County: http://www.doteclub.com Fred Lanting / Willow Wood Consulting: http://www.fredlanting.org

08-25-2010, 03:05 PM	#5 (permalink)
draggar Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: South Florida Posts: 80	I can't edit moy post? Huh. Well, my wife didn't tell me why he sent such a large check. He wanted her to send him the difference though Western Union and the puppy though the courrier. Um, no. heck no. We'll find her a different home, preferably locally because she is beautiful and fearless, which the breed could use a dam like this. __________________ DOTE Club - competitive training in Broward County: http://www.doteclub.com Fred Lanting / Willow Wood Consulting: http://www.fredlanting.org

08-25-2010, 03:07 PM	#6 (permalink)
Lucy Dog Crowned Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Connecticut Posts: 5,179	All the effort these people put into their scams... you'd think it be easier to just go out and get a legitimate job and earn the money like a normal person. __________________ Paul

08-25-2010, 04:19 PM	#8 (permalink)
selzer Crowned Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Denmark, Ohio Posts: 17,499	This guy calls me every single time I have a litter. He uses a service because he is deaf. I tell him I do not ship puppies. I usually have to say it many times because he insists that the courier will pick up the puppy. I insist that I do not ship puppies even through couriers. Finally he gives up. It is a scam I am sure. They want you to send the balance on with the courier I think and my guess is they then stop payment somehow. Not sure what they do with the puppies. It is weird, they never ask what color or anything about the sire or dam. My guess is they are simply trying to separate us from our money. I posted about it a couple of years ago. Good to have a reminder though. Hope you get it all settled. __________________ RIP Arwen, CD RN CGC RIP Whitney, RN CGC Jenna, RN CGC Babs, CD RA CGC Herding Instinct Certificate Heidi, RA CGC Tori, RN CGC SG3 Odessa, SchH1, Kkl1, AD Ninja, RN CGC Milla, RN CGC Joy, Star Puppy, RN CGC Dolly & Bear

08-25-2010, 04:24 PM	#9 (permalink)
Chris Wild Administrator & Alpha Bitch of the Wild Bunch Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Michigan, USA Posts: 12,604	Had one of those calls years ago, supposedly deaf person using a calling service. Seemed very fishy, and when there was talk of couriers and no inquiry about the pups other than how much and where to send the check, and no answer to any questions... I think I hung up in less than 2 minutes. I'm sure a scam, and apparently not a new one. __________________ *Wildhaus Kennels* Kaiser ~ SchH3 CGC TDI (HOT) Raven ~ SchH3 AWD2 PD1 P1 PA T1 UCD URO2 CGC TT (B/HOT) Della ~ SchHA TR1 PD1 P1 PA T1 URO2 CGC TT (B/HOT) Wulf ~ SchH1 PD1 P1 T1 URO2 CGC TT (B/HOT) Heidi ~ BH CD UCD RN URO1 (B/HOT) Jazz ~ Superpup In Training

08-25-2010, 02:33 PM	#2 (permalink)
Stosh Crowned Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: tyler texas Posts: 8,434	That whole thing sounds really odd- hope someone figures out what's going on

08-25-2010, 02:39 PM	#3 (permalink)
GSDAlphaMom Knighted Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Texas Posts: 2,227	Yes total scam. Anytime they use a relay service it's because they don't speak good english (or not at all) and usually from another country and they don't want you to know it.

08-25-2010, 05:04 PM	#10 (permalink)
Stosh Crowned Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: tyler texas Posts: 8,434	My mom almost ended up on the other end of this kind of scam. She found a puppy online at one of the breeders' sites. She emailed, a woman called her back but my mom was never able to get a call to go through to the number she gave. My mom was to pay the $500 deposit with PayPal, which she did, then received a call from a deaf man who said she should send the rest of the money Western Union to an address in...you guessed it...Nigeria. He said that he was donating the money to a new gsd breeder there that was needing money to feed his dogs and she would be doing so much good with that money since she obviously loved dogs, bs, bs... Fortunately, PayPal blocked the transaction because they knew it was a scam and they never allow payments for animals.

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