SUFFOLK, Va. — Dog lover, Debbie, wanted a happy, healthy puppy to complete her family.
After a quick search online she found the "Doberman pinschers puppies lover's" Facebook page.
"I happened to be going through Facebook [and joined the page. I saw] pages of different people getting their puppies and saying how well the transaction was [and] how nice the people were [and that] the puppies were healthy," she said.
She was excited by what she saw on the page and sent a message to one of the administrators.
"[The administrator] said, [the puppies] were eight weeks old and they were ready to go. She sent me several different pictures and I picked out one," Debbie said.
Debbie agreed to pay a deposit and they planned to meet at a halfway point, but she said after she spent the money the red flags started.
"When I did Cash App, it came back as fraudulent and then my bank stopped it [and] wouldn't allow it," she said.
She thought maybe it was a fluke and offered to bring cash for the puppy instead.
"They said, 'okay, how about getting a gift card from Walmart?' And of course, I talked to both my sons and they said, 'No, I wouldn't do it, Mom, it's probably a scam."
Debbie was skeptical too but wanted to at least try to meet the so-called breeders in person.
She said her and her grandson waited for them to show, only to be met with pushy messages.
"He would call me and be adamant that I've got to have that [money] on a gift card. And I would say, 'who in their right mind would go and give you a gift card and not see a puppy first?' I said, 'I'm not going to do it,'" Debbie said.
She went home and said the aggressive messages kept coming along with an offer to have the dog for free.
After talking to Debbie, News 3 anchor and Problem Solver, Erin Miller messaged the administrators.
Debbie ultimately stopped communicating with the administrators and the page altogether.
"I lost a tank of gas and 100 bucks. So I learned a big, big lesson," she said. "I don't want to see anybody go through what I went through and that's why I'm doing this."
The Better Business Bureau has a few tips on how to avoid a situation like Debbie's:
- Do your research
- Don't buy a pet without seeing it in person
- Conduct a reverse image search of the picture of the pet you are considering
- Avoid wiring money, or using a cash app or gift card
- Do research to get a sense of a fair price for the breed you are considering
- Consider reaching out to a local animal shelter
If you have a warning about a page you have joined, let the News 3 Problem Solvers know. You can also submit a consumer tip by sending an email to problemsolvers@wtkr.com.
