Michigan, Watch Out For Christmas Puppy Scams!
Whenever I would see people getting puppies for Christmas, I would get so excited. Whether it was in person or in the movies, I just knew my time would come.
However, you (and I) may want to stay away from the idea of getting a puppy as a Christmas present.
In 2022 alone, the Better Business Bureau has reported over 1,400 puppy scams.
A puppy scam is when the buyer will send money to the apparent 'seller' online in exchange for the puppy. However, the 'seller' completely ghosts the buyer.
No puppy. No refund.
Sadly, it is only getting worse.
Experts at Veterinarians.org say that
this number will only increase as the holidays approach - a time of year when online searches for puppies for sale traditionally see a steep increase.
Between January 1st and October 31st, the Better Business Bureau released data that Veterinarians.org used to find out the top 15 states for puppy scams.
Sadly, Michigan is in the top 15!
The state of Michigan sits at number 11 with 43 total scams. The average amount of money lost per scam is sitting at $561.07. Lastly, when you compared it to the entire state, the total money lost is over $24,000 ($24,126.09).
- California
- Florida
- Texas
- Arizona
- North Carolina
- Colorado
- New York
- Pennsylvania
- Georgia
- Virginia
- Michigan
- Illinois
- Washington
- Massachusetts
- Indiana
In order to stay away from getting puppy scammed, listen to these suggested warnings.
1. Stay away if the seller states that you won't be able to see the puppy before the adoption is finalized OR does not give you any pictures or videos of the puppy.
2. You may want to stear clear if the seller asks for a follow-up payment and claims it will cover additional things like climate-controlled crates, vaccinations, or insurance.
3. Keep away if the puppy 'seller' asks for you to pay them upfront using any of these apps like Western Union, MoneyGram, Zelle, Cash App, or a gift card.
4. If the breeder's website has no information about the puppy's parents or any of the puppy's health records, run for the hills.
5. Lastly, if the puppy is purebred and it is being sold at a huge discount, then you may want to stay away.
