King County Resident Scammed When Trying To Purchase Dog

KING COUNTY, WA—A Shoreline woman is out of a lot of money after scammers promised to sell her a puppy but never actually did, according to the King County Sheriff's Office.

"We have recently noticed an increase in fraud cases involving the purchase of animals," the King County Sheriff's Office said on its officials Facebook page. "We strongly recommend animals not be purchased this way. Do research and make sure you are buying from a reputable seller, or get a shelter dog."

On Sept. 3 around 9:19 a.m., deputies said a Shoreline resident reported she had been the victim of fraud.

When deputies spoke to the victim, they said they were informed that the she saw an ad in a local newspaper for Golden Retriever puppies. When she emailed the "sellers" she was advised to send them $850 through an online payment app, which she did.

After sending the money, deputies said she was then contacted by a "shipping company" who was going to send the puppy. This fictitious company requested a "refundable insurance fee" of $1,250 prior to shipping.

Deputies said the victim sent the money through the same payment app. But it didn't end there, the shipping company now claimed there was a "temperature emergency" and they needed another $650 to rent a temperature controlled kennel for the dog.

Needless to say, deputies said the victim ultimately realized she had been scammed and stopped communicating with the suspects. The victim contacted her bank to see if the payments could be stopped. A deputy contacted the local newspaper to have the fraudulent ad removed.