E-mail used to scam people into buying pedigree dogs
By Daniel Borunda / El Paso Times(online). 06/02/07
Lorenzo Fonseca of El Paso holds a 5-week-old Yorkshire terrier puppy, one that his family bred and is selling. Authorities are warning people that an e-mail scam from Africa is targeting pet lovers to buy pedigree dogs for low prices.
Jodie Buckingham's plan to get a Yorkshire terrier for her family by answering an Internet classified ad turned into a $200 loss in an international e-mail scam using puppies as bait.
"They post pictures of absolutely adorable puppies. They are so fluffy. Whoever these people are, they definitely are running a scam real well," Buckingham said.
Buckingham was the victim of a scam using online and print classified ads for Yorkshire terriers, English bulldogs and other popular breeds that was the topic of a warning issued this week by the American Kennel Club and and the Council of Better Business Bureaus.
The phony ads have only an e-mail contact, typically from sites such as Yahoo! or Hotmail. The scammer may claim to be part of a religious group in a foreign country.
"They play on people's heartstrings. It's amazing how persistent some of these folks are," said Special Agent Andrea Simmons, a spokeswoman for the FBI office in El Paso. "They are very hard for law enforcement to catch because they often are in a foreign country. They move around. Sometimes they are organized crime entities."
Buckingham at first was hesitant because the sale was not in person, but it was a bargain price for an AKC-registered Yorkie puppy that needed a good home, a record of exchanged e-mails between Buckingham and a "Peter Brooks" showed.
"He said 'Oh, we are missionaries loving Christ. We are in Nigeria.' That is the hook. (I thought) 'Oh, somebody who is religious, they wouldn't scam you.' Oh, yes they do," Buckingham said.
The scam occurred about two months ago, while Buckingham lived El Paso with her children while her husband, who was in the military, was away in Korea. The family recently moved to Alaska.
After several e-mail exchanges, including photos of the supposed dog, Buckingham wired $200 to Nigeria to pay for the pet's air shipping. Brooks asked for an additional $400 to pay for a problem at customs. "At that point, I started doing research É I got so angry, so bitter, so hurt," Buckingham said.
"Nobody can replace the $200 I lost. I'm glad I learned a lesson, but I absolutely hate anybody else would be scammed like this. There are gullible fools like me. People don't realize if you are sending money to a foreign country, you are screwed," Buckingham said.
Buckingham filed a report with the federal Internet Crime Complaint Center (www.ic3.gov).
She eventually bought two pups, this time in person.
Buckingham said she first saw the phony online classified ad linked to the El Paso Times Web site, but cases have been reported from Arizona to New York. The ads, which have similar wording in a stilted English, are placed through the Internet.
"We do what we can to remove ads that are obviously fraudulent. But considering the hundreds of thousands of (classified) ads that run in our newspaper, occasionally a fraudulent ad that appears legitimate runs in our publications," El Paso Times Classified Advertising Manager Jim Weddell said.
Detective Robert Hanner of the El Paso police White Collar Crime Unit said it is unknown how many puppy-scam victims are in the city. "People who realize they are victims are ashamed about being victimized. I believe there are a lot more case of Internet scams than are reported," Hanner said.
Investigators said the basic rule is that if a deal appears too good to be true, it probably is a fraud. The FBI also cautioned that U.S. law enforcement does not have jurisdiction in other countries.
The American Kennel Club advised buyers to take their time and educate themselves.
East Side resident Claudia Patrie, who owns and has sold Yorkie pups, said she was not surprised by the lure of the tiny dog. "It's a really small breed. They are high maintenance. People are getting them. They are really cute," she said.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com; 546-6102.
Retrieved June 3, 2007 from http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_6043462
Lorenzo Fonseca of El Paso holds a 5-week-old Yorkshire terrier puppy, one that his family bred and is selling. Authorities are warning people that an e-mail scam from Africa is targeting pet lovers to buy pedigree dogs for low prices.
Jodie Buckingham's plan to get a Yorkshire terrier for her family by answering an Internet classified ad turned into a $200 loss in an international e-mail scam using puppies as bait.
"They post pictures of absolutely adorable puppies. They are so fluffy. Whoever these people are, they definitely are running a scam real well," Buckingham said.
Buckingham was the victim of a scam using online and print classified ads for Yorkshire terriers, English bulldogs and other popular breeds that was the topic of a warning issued this week by the American Kennel Club and and the Council of Better Business Bureaus.
The phony ads have only an e-mail contact, typically from sites such as Yahoo! or Hotmail. The scammer may claim to be part of a religious group in a foreign country.
"They play on people's heartstrings. It's amazing how persistent some of these folks are," said Special Agent Andrea Simmons, a spokeswoman for the FBI office in El Paso. "They are very hard for law enforcement to catch because they often are in a foreign country. They move around. Sometimes they are organized crime entities."
Buckingham at first was hesitant because the sale was not in person, but it was a bargain price for an AKC-registered Yorkie puppy that needed a good home, a record of exchanged e-mails between Buckingham and a "Peter Brooks" showed.
"He said 'Oh, we are missionaries loving Christ. We are in Nigeria.' That is the hook. (I thought) 'Oh, somebody who is religious, they wouldn't scam you.' Oh, yes they do," Buckingham said.
The scam occurred about two months ago, while Buckingham lived El Paso with her children while her husband, who was in the military, was away in Korea. The family recently moved to Alaska.
After several e-mail exchanges, including photos of the supposed dog, Buckingham wired $200 to Nigeria to pay for the pet's air shipping. Brooks asked for an additional $400 to pay for a problem at customs. "At that point, I started doing research É I got so angry, so bitter, so hurt," Buckingham said.
"Nobody can replace the $200 I lost. I'm glad I learned a lesson, but I absolutely hate anybody else would be scammed like this. There are gullible fools like me. People don't realize if you are sending money to a foreign country, you are screwed," Buckingham said.
Buckingham filed a report with the federal Internet Crime Complaint Center (www.ic3.gov).
She eventually bought two pups, this time in person.
Buckingham said she first saw the phony online classified ad linked to the El Paso Times Web site, but cases have been reported from Arizona to New York. The ads, which have similar wording in a stilted English, are placed through the Internet.
"We do what we can to remove ads that are obviously fraudulent. But considering the hundreds of thousands of (classified) ads that run in our newspaper, occasionally a fraudulent ad that appears legitimate runs in our publications," El Paso Times Classified Advertising Manager Jim Weddell said.
Detective Robert Hanner of the El Paso police White Collar Crime Unit said it is unknown how many puppy-scam victims are in the city. "People who realize they are victims are ashamed about being victimized. I believe there are a lot more case of Internet scams than are reported," Hanner said.
Investigators said the basic rule is that if a deal appears too good to be true, it probably is a fraud. The FBI also cautioned that U.S. law enforcement does not have jurisdiction in other countries.
The American Kennel Club advised buyers to take their time and educate themselves.
East Side resident Claudia Patrie, who owns and has sold Yorkie pups, said she was not surprised by the lure of the tiny dog. "It's a really small breed. They are high maintenance. People are getting them. They are really cute," she said.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com; 546-6102.
Retrieved June 3, 2007 from http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_6043462