BBB warns of puppy scam after Lacombe woman loses thousands
A Lacombe woman said she was scammed out of thousands of dollars while trying to a buy a new Yorkie.
The Better Business Bureau said they are seeing a spike in the number of animal lovers being taken advantage of during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The woman said the seller told her to make a deposit for the dog and wire the money to Africa.
She sent the first payment and was told to send more money, which she did.
She said she is putting the incident in the past.
The woman lost around $3,000.
"The man even gave me a name. The dog's name was Kayla. My daughter was excited, I am devastated I was just getting lied to," the woman said.
"It's increasing that's one thing that we have to watch out for, when a scam increases, then you know that con artists are very good at what they are doing. Apparently, these people were," said Cynthia Albert with the BBB.
Albert said to avoid buying pets online and to check in with the BBB if you are concerned about how legitimate a company is.
Albert also said to find someone local or visit an animal shelter.