Heather Curtis
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON (WMAL) – Scammers are now using pictures of adorable puppies to steal people’s money.
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring said his office has been getting complaints from people who put deposits on puppies they saw online only to find out the puppies didn’t exist.
“Finding a new puppy to add to your family is an exciting time for Virginians, and the last thing anyone would want to happen is to pay hundreds of dollars to bring that puppy home, only to find out that he or she never existed,” Herring said in a press release.
He advises anyone in the market for a puppy to watch out for red flags, including heavily discounted prices like the 50 percent discount Treasure Yorkies says it offers new customers.
Herring said sites that want payments via Money Gram or Western Union could also be scams as well as ones that only communicate via email.
The Consumer Protection Section can help people figure out if a site is legitimate.
People who think they’ve been scammed can go to www.ag.virginia.gov or call 1-800-552-9963 in Virginia to report it.
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