Are you looking for the perfect pet? It’s essential to exercise caution when shopping online for a furry friend. BBB Scam Tracker often receives reports of online purchase scams for pets. Even though puppies are the most common type of animal used in a pet scam, BBB also receives reports of fraudulent sellers advertising the sale of kittens, reptiles, and birds that have yet to be received. In most cases, consumers only recognize they are interacting with a scammer once they start arranging for the transportation of the animal after purchase.
How the scam works
A consumer recently reported to BBB Scam Tracker that they lost $850 when attempting to buy a Chihuahua puppy online. After paying the initial $650 for the puppy and $200 for airline shipping, the consumer was asked for an additional $950 in cash for pet insurance prior to shipping the puppy.
“I contacted the “breeder” and was told that this is the way it works and that I must pay the $950 to them via Zelle. At this point, I realized the entire transaction was a scam and I told the “breeder” I wanted them to immediately refund my $850. Of course, they never responded after that.”
How to avoid similar scams
Visit the seller in person. Responsible breeders and reputable rescues are happy to offer you a tour and let you see the available puppies in person.
Check references. Read online reviews and talk to other people who have purchased pets from the place you are considering, making sure the seller is trustworthy. Visit BBB.org to read reviews and find BBB Accredited breeders near you.
Look for website warning signs. Fake puppy sale sites look legitimate because they steal content from other websites. An easy way to spot a duplicate site is to copy a line of text from the website and paste it into a search engine. You can also do a reverse image search of the photo of the puppy by using images.google.com to see if the photos are stolen from somewhere else. Read BBB's tip on 6 things to look for when shopping online.
Select on-site. Rather than relying on pictures to pick your perfect pet and waiting for a breeder to send them to you, visit the site and make your choice in person.
Use a credit card to make payment. This offers additional protection if you purchase online. Asking a customer to pay by wire transfer or prepaid card is illegal, and any breeder who pressures you to do so is most likely a scam. Paying via a digital wallet app is also a red flag for a scam.
If you have spotted a scam, or become a victim, please let us know! Go to www.bbb.org/scamtracker.
This year, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology (DHPA) received 67 entries for its annual photo contest. After voting by DHPA and DNR staff, the winners in each category are listed below:
Altered: Frog Baby Fountain on campus of Ball State University by Tim Underhill of Muncie
Black & White: Cannonball Bridge over Wabash River in Knox County by Jennifer Minnis of Paris, IL
Color: Barn at Prophetstown State Park by David Wright
Kids: Indiana State Capitol and the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in downtown Indianapolis by August Rumschlag
Preservation Month Theme (Indiana’s Scholastic Gymnasiums): Salm Gymnasium in Madison by Andrew Forrester of Madison
Everyone knows to look for phony emails – they can appear in your email inbox or even at work. Scammers can easily make messages that appear to come from anywhere, like your boss’s email account or a close family member. But what about phone calls and voicemail? Scammers can use new AI technology to mimic the voice of someone you know and create a phone call or voicemail recording. This “voice cloning” technology has recently advanced, and anyone with the right software can clone a voice from a very small audio sample.
How the scam works
At work, you get a voicemail from your boss. They instruct you to wire thousands of dollars to a vendor for a rush project. The request is out of the blue. But it’s the boss’s orders, so you make the transfer. A few hours later, you see your boss and confirm that you sent the payment. But there’s one big problem; your manager has no idea what you are talking about! It turns out that the message was fake.
At home, you may receive a phone call or voicemail from a family member in an urgent situation like an accident or a medical emergency. They provide convincing details and ask for money immediately via a digital wallet payment app like Venmo or PayPal. You find out later that the story wasn’t true, and your money is gone.
A consumer recently shared on Scam Tracker, “Received call on 1-26-24 I thought it was my daughter-in-law she said Hi mom calling to say she was pulled over driving and has a broken nose and is now being. She was frantic to have me call the lawyer right away. She asked me 3 times if I wrote the name & number down. I said yes. She said she had to go right now as they are taking her. Her voice sounded just like my daughter-in-law.”
With the US now amid the 2024 election season, scammers may use the technology to mimic candidates’ voices to sway voters or potentially drum up “donations.”
How to avoid similar scams:
Resist the urge to act immediately. No matter how convincing a phone call or voicemail may sound, hang up or close the message if something doesn’t feel right. Call the person who claimed to have called you directly with the phone number you have saved for them. Don’t call back the number provided by the caller or caller ID. Ask questions that would be hard for an impostor to answer correctly.
Don’t send money if you’re in doubt. If the caller urgently asks you to send money via a digital wallet payment app or a gift card, that may be a red flag for a scam. If you wire money to someone and later realize it’s a fraud, the police must be alerted.
Secure your accounts. Whether at work or home, set up multifactor authentication for email logins and other changes in email settings. At work, verify changes in information about customers, employees, or vendors.
At work, train your staff. Create a secure culture at your office by training employees in internet security. Make it a policy to confirm all change and payment requests before transferring. Don’t rely on email or voicemail.
If you’ve been the victim of a scam, please report it at BBB.org/ScamTracker. Your report can help expose scammers’ tactics and prevent others from having a similar experience.
May 5 - May 11This Week in Indiana History |
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Indiana Capitol Tour Office |
Planning a party? If you need to rent chairs, decorations, a bouncy house, or any other supplies, take extra caution when searching for rentals. BBB Scam Tracker continues to receive reports of party hosts being tricked by rentals that don’t materialize. Before planning your next party, get to know this scam to avoid being conned.
How the scam works
You are planning a party and need to rent supplies. You do a web or social media search and find a few options. For example, you may find a legitimate website with a convenient online booking system. Or you might message someone through a social media account that seems professional.
Either way, the “vendor” promises to reserve your rental for the date you need it – if you pay a deposit first. They may also require you to fill out a contact form with your personal details. The date of your party arrives, and your rental tent, furniture, or other supplies don’t arrive.
At this point, the “vendor” may tell you they’ve had an emergency and can’t deliver on their promise. However, the scammers will disappear completely when you ask for your money back. Other times, you can’t contact the rental company at all. For example, if you originally contacted the vendor on social media, they may have blocked you or deleted their account. One consumer reported this experience to BBB Scam Tracker: “I was looking for an inflatable for my son’s birthday and I searched up on Facebook and that [company name redacted] was sponsored. I messaged them and they had good reviews and then he told me to Zelle his a downpayment of $150 and then the other $150 I will send it later and so I thought it was legit. Then he told me to send him a screenshot that I sent the money and then he blocked me.”
How to avoid similar scams
Do your research before you rent. Take a good look at the rental company’s website and ensure it has accurate contact information. Then, read consumer reviews about the company on third-party websites, such as BBB.org. Also, search the business name plus the word “scam” to ensure you don’t find any reports of fraudulent business dealings. You can also look up the business on BBB Scam Tracker to see if any recent reports have been filed by other consumers.
Think twice when renting from listings only advertised on social media. Take caution if you find party rentals on social media but cannot find the company’s website or confirm their contact information anywhere else. If the rental business only contacts you and facilitates the rental transaction through social media and refuses to talk on the phone or in person, that’s another red flag.
Be wary of people who contact you on messaging apps. Legitimate businesses may use messaging apps to interact with you, but it’s unlikely they will initiate a conversation and contact you out of the blue this way. Again, even if you speak with a business through a messaging app or social media, ensure they have a website and working contact information.
Be careful with your personal details. You may need to fill out a contract with personal information, but ensure you are dealing with a legitimate, professional company first before handing over sensitive personal and financial information.
Review your contract. It’s common to have a contract in place when you order rentals from a company. Review your contract carefully and ensure that your delivery date and time are accurate, as well as the final cost and payment details. Check to ensure the contract doesn’t outline any phony fees or other extra costs you weren’t anticipating. Save a copy of the contract that is signed and dated by both you and the company.
Consider how the company is asking you to provide payment. Oftentimes, scammers will ask you to provide payment through a digital wallet app or a wire transfer. Don’t ever hand over money or your payment information to a stranger or someone you haven’t met.
If you do pay, remember that it’s much easier to dispute fraudulent charges using your credit card. If you pay with a debit card, digital wallet, or cash, you may not get your money back if you find out you were scammed. If the cost of the rental downpayment seems too high, do more research and get quotes from other rental companies.
If you spot a party rental scam or any other kind of scam, report it to BBB.org/ScamTracker to help build consumer awareness.
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