Columbus, OH – The holidays are a perfect time for scammers to prey on consumers’ emotions, especially if a cute, furry gift is involved. This season, BBB warns prospective pet owners to be extra cautious of puppy scams.
Better Business Bureau is alerting consumers to beware of Fountain Chihuahua, a puppy scam using an address in Central Ohio. The resident living at the address contacted Better Business Bureau to confirm her address is being misused. Fountain Chihuahua’s website advertises various types of chihuahuas, complete with descriptions and pictures. After a consumer pays for the dog, the scammer asks them to continue sending more money for other “fees” like travel, insurance and vet visits. After paying hundreds of dollars, the consumer never receives the dog.
A woman in Crosby, Texas reported that she paid $615 for a chihuahua from Fountain Chihuahua and became suspicious when she was later asked to pay an additional $140 for shipping. She never got her puppy.
According to BBB Scam Tracker, Fountain Chihuahua isn’t the only chihuahua puppy scam taking advantage of consumers. This year alone, multiple victims in the United States and Canada have lost a total of $5,000 to puppy scammers like: King’s Chihuahuas, Chihuahua Dreams, Tiny Homes Chihuahuas, and Smith Chihuahuas.
Puppy scammers build websites using stolen pictures and content from reputable breeders. They promise to send a puppy to you after the money has been wired, and will add on additional fees or disappear completely after you have paid a certain amount of money. BBB urges consumers not to pay any money or give personal information to websites like these, because the puppies do not exist.
BBB has the following tips to avoid puppy scams:
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Always visit the breeder. Responsible breeders and rescue groups will be more than happy to give you a tour.
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Search for website warning signs. Fake breeder websites usually look real because the content is typically stolen from another site. Look for duplicate sites by copying a line from the website into a search engine and looking for identical wording elsewhere on the Internet. Also, search for the domain name on “WHOIS Lookup.” Make sure the site is hosted in the country where the breeders claim to be located.
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Pick your puppy up at the kennel. Don’t rely on the breeder to ship the puppy. Go to see the puppy in person.
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Check references. Talk to others who have purchased pets from this breeder and the veterinarian the breeder works with. Search bbb.org for their Business Profile and customer reviews.
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Pay with check or credit card. If a breeder pressures you to pay by wire transfer or prepaid debit card, it is probably a scam.
For more information on finding businesses you can trust, follow your BBB on Facebook, Twitter, and at bbb.org.
Media Contact: Kip Morse – 614-754-4560 or kmorse@centralohio.bbb.org
About BBB
For more than 100 years, Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses, brands and charities they can trust. In 2015, people turned to BBB more than 172 million times for BBB Business Reviews on more than 5.3 million businesses and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at bbb.org. BBB serving Central Ohio was founded in 1921, and serving 21 counties in Ohio, is one of 113 local, independent BBBs in the United States, Canada and Mexico.