I Was Puppy-Scammed on the Internet

When I saw a tiny Shih Tzu, named Tommy, for sale on a Facebook dog rescue page, I couldn't believe my good fortune.

He was exactly what I had been searching for; the right size and breed—it was just a bonus that he was one of the cutest dogs I have ever seen.

The administrator of the site said Tommy was full-grown and weighed only six pounds. Perfect. I wanted a smaller dog. He would make the ideal companion for my wonderful micro-dog Piki, who weighs just three and a half pounds.

I could tell that Piki was yearning for canine companionship, because he spent the majority of his days staring out our large floor-to-ceiling glass back window and barking greetings at any dog who passed.

I knew a puppy almost his size would probably be a better playmate for him than a larger one, and I was pleased Tommy was a Shih Tzu.

I had never wanted to own a super-intelligent, hyper dog like a Border Collie, because they require constant time and attention. I didn't want to spend hours each day throwing a stick for my dog to return.

Shih Tzus, on the other hand, are usually laid-back, low-maintenance and, as an added plus, most rarely bark.

I'm not the only one who's fallen in love with this breed. Even the teacups—technically called Imperial Shih Tzus—who aren't show dog stock or Westminster-worthy generally cost in the range of $3,000. And the very tiniest sometimes fetch as much as $8,000.

So, when I sent a text to the site administrator saying I wanted Tommy, I was delighted when he replied saying that he cost only $350.

"Sold," I wrote, not realizing that a deal that seems too good to be true can be the first sign of a scam.

He told me that the reason his owner was giving him up was because her schedule had changed and she didn't want him spending his days in the crate.

Tommy was living in Kentucky with his current owner and the administrator asked for an additional $300 for someone to drive the puppy to my home in Florida.

Before I prepared to send him money, I checked a few things. First, I looked this man up online, but I couldn't find his name on Facebook, or anywhere else on the internet besides this specific site.

While this felt unusual, I then went through every single posting on this Facebook rescue site to see if anyone else had dealt with him. Several people had posted about how they were so happy with his service; how their lives had changed after purchasing a wonderful dog from him.

I became more confident this was not a scam, but decided to check the photo he had posted to make sure he hadn't just grabbed a stock photo of a dog, or stolen his image from some other website or a legitimate breeder.

So, I took the photograph that had appeared on Facebook and put it into a Google visual search. Nothing came up.

The sale seemed legitimate, until the seller asked me to pay for Tommy using gift cards, which immediately made me suspicious once again—but I decided to put those thoughts to the back of my mind.

I had no previous experience using gift cards but as he instructed me, I photographed the back and front and the receipts and sent them to him. For some reason, a few of the cards didn't go through, so he told me to try other cards—his suggestions were Apple, Google Pay, American Express, Venmo, and Zelle.

Eventually, the $350 fee and the $300 transportation cost were successfully transferred, and I started happily waiting for Tommy, purchasing enough toys and extra food to open my own pet shop.

"Is he coming in the afternoon or evening?" I asked the seller the day before Tommy was due to arrive.

"Afternoon," he replied.

But that was the last I ever heard from this man. Or of Tommy.

At first, I wondered why this scammer would go through all that for only $650. However, I later learned that while he told me the gift cards hadn't gone through, he was busy cashing them in while I foolishly provided him with more money.

It appeared that he made around $4,000 from this sucker.

I wondered who Tommy was. Did this dog even exist? Was he alive somewhere with another new owner? Or still with his original one? How many people did this man sell him to? Were those his friends on the website posting as people who had purchased dogs from him?

I will never get the answers I want, because the website has disappeared. So, seemingly, has this man.

I was able to get some of the money back that he stole from me by contacting the gift companies, and warned others away from this scammer by posting his name on legitimate Shih Tzu rescue sites.

Sadly, though, the real loser was not me, but Piki. I will eventually find another dog. But for now, Piki is still alone. And he continues to spend his days looking out the big glass window, waiting for the companion who never came.

Paulette Cooper is a Florida-based author who has written 27 books including The Perils of Paulette: My Life as a Stowaway, Tabloid Reporter, Travel Writer, Scientology-Basher; Holocaust Survivor & More.

All views expressed in this article are the author's own.

As told to Newsweek's My Turn associate editor, Monica Greep.

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