Nigerian Puppy Scamming
Americans love their dogs, and proof exists that cuddling a pup is good for your health and well-being. Our pets can do everything from lowering cholesterol and blood pressure to promoting quicker recovery from serious problems like heart attack. Smart folks who want to steal your money are taking advantage of our pooch love affair with the latest scam to take the name of Nigeria in vain. The American Kennel Club reports that fraudulent websites and MySpace postings tout ads for folks who must move quickly or have become “stuck” in Nigeria and other countries and need loving homes for their pups. Adorable puppy faces accompany these ads as you, tears in eyes, are asked to help. While the ads may offer the doggies for free, various “fees” eventually build into the thousands of dollars, and the pup never appears at your doorstep. One variation offers a purebred highly expensive pup, such as an English bulldog, at a huge discount.
If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck . . . you know the rest. Come on, people, wake up! Stuck in Nigeria? What did that poor country do to have become the butt of all rip-off scandals?
An even more important question is why one would pay mountains of moolah to adopt a dog they can’t even see when local animal shelters offer dozens of these adorable creatures? And they won’t make you take out a bank loan to cover their modest fees. If you don’t know the location of your local shelter, visit the ASPCA’s shelter finder. I can guarantee you won’t have to drive to Nigeria.
And yes, that’s a Pomeranian pirate. (From Cute Overload)
Kelly Townsend