ORLANDO, Fla. – When Jo and Jerry Hatley‘s tiny 13-year-old dog Abbey passed away back on March 11, they were devastated.
“She’ll never be forgotten, she will always be in our memory,” Jerry told News 6. “The first two weeks were the worst. It’s something — you can’t describe the feeling.”
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The couple wanted to fill that void with a new puppy and as luck would have it, Jo and Jerry found two puppies offered on Facebook by a woman who identified herself as Abigail Rosen.
The woman sent a video clip of what appeared to be two small white Maltese puppies. There was barking in the background of that video, but Abigail Rosen was never seen.
After a series of text messages, they settled on a price of $600 for the two small white puppies.
Rosen asked for the payments to be wired to her Apple Pay account. That’s when things seemed off.
Rosen claimed her account never received the funds, but Jerry Hatley called her bluff.
“Apple Pay went so far as to check it and said the money is in her Apple Pay account,” he told News 6.
Rosen said, “OK,” and gave them a Miami-area address to meet and pick up the puppies.
When they arrived, a man who answered the door told them there were no puppies and that he had never heard of Abigail Rosen.
“It’s just heartbreaking to lose your dog and think you found another one only to find out you’ve been scammed,” Jo Hatley told News 6. ”I don’t think this is the only case like this and I don’t want other people to be scammed like we were.”
News 6 ran a facial recognition comparison of the Abigail Rosen photo, but there was no match.
According to the Better Business Bureau, consumers lost $1 million in various “puppies for sale” scams in 2023.
The American Kennel Club urges consumers to be aware of the following red flags when shopping for a pet online:
- No phone calls: Fraudulent sellers are oftentimes outside of the U.S. and may be hiding their phone number by only communicating by email.
- Stock photos: Search for the text in the listing to see if the seller copied and pasted it from another site.
- Sketchy payment: The seller asks for wiring of money or payment by gift cards.
- The price is too good to be true: Research the prices for the breed you are considering ahead of time.
According to BBB research, nearly 10,000 scam reports and complaints have come in during the last three years about “businesses” selling puppies and dogs. The FTC estimates that only about 10% of victims report these crimes, so this number could be much higher.
If you think you are being targeted by a fake dog breeder or individual seller, email makeendsmeet@wkmg.com or text the words “make ends meet” along with your contact information to 407-676-7428.
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