By DEAN SHALHOUP

Senior Staff Writer

CONCORD – Internet scammers have taken up the practice of selling pets, mainly purebred dogs, through Websites that may appear legitimate – but are anything but, according to a warning issued Wednesday by the office of Attorney General Gordon MacDonald.

There have been “several recent reports” of these internet pet-sale scams, which, MacDonald said in a statement, involve puppies and kittens, in many cases purebred ones, being offered for sale at low prices over Websites that “appear legitimate.”

“The scammers always claim that the animals need to be shipped, and do not provide on option for in person pickup,” MacDonald stated.

How it works is, once a consumer sends money to purchase a pet, the scammer will then demand additional money in order to complete the transaction. The most common justifications for the additional payments include specific requirements of the shipping airline (such as a temperature controlled crate), the cost of shipping insurance, and additional paperwork or shots, according to MacDonald.

Consumers never receive the pet they paid for. Scammers will typically insist the consumer pay for the animals and the additional fees using a money transfer service such as Zelle, or with gift cards. Most internet pet sale scams operate using a seemingly legitimate website featuring pictures of available dogs. The photos are usually taken from other legitimate websites. Victims of the scam are at high risk of losing their money because most of these scammers are located overseas, MacDonald wrote in the statement.

Granite Staters can protect themselves from such scams by following these guidelines:

* Avoid buying a pet online unless you are using an established rescue group

* Be suspicious of any long-distance breeder who will need to ship the animal to you

* Be extra cautious when buying a rare or expensive breed being sold at a discount price. Some examples of breeds that have been identified in scams are Bernese Mountain dogs, Pomeranians, and Maine coon cats. If the price appears too good to be true, it is likely a scam

* Consumers should never transfer or wire money to people they do not know. Legitimate breeders will never ask for payment by gift card

* Be on the lookout for emails or messages containing misspellings or grammatical errors

* Ask to speak to the seller over the phone. Ask detailed questions and thoroughly verify a seller before deciding to purchase a pet. If possible, ask for references that can verify the legitimacy of the breeder and contact those references.

Anyone who believes they have been scammed, or knows someone who has, MacDonald urges them to report it to your local police and to the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau.

Complaints can be filed at www.doj.nh.gov/consumer/complaints/index.htm, or by calling the Consumer Hotline at 271-3641.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.

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